Legacy of Uzushiogakure
by Marquis Black
Summary: The 2nd Shinobi World War left Uzu destroyed out of fear. Its inhabitants were left slaughtered or scattered. However, what if the members of Uzushio's famed Uzumaki weren't as scattered as people thought? What would it mean for one Uzumaki Naruto?
1. Lost Clan Arc: Fated Meeting

_**Legacy of Uzushiogakure**_

**Extended Summary_  
><em>**  
>During the Second Shinobi World War, the tiny country of Uzu was destroyed out of fear for its Hidden Village's prized Fuinjutsu. Its inhabitants were left slaughtered or scattered in the wind. However, what if the members of the famed Uzumaki weren't as scattered as people were led to believe? What would it mean for one Uzumaki Naruto? A chance - some might even say fated meeting between the lost Uzumaki and the last descendant of the Clan Heads will rock Konoha to its foundations.<p>

**Author Page Standard Issue Disclaimer Applies.**

**Pairings**(since that seems to be all-important for some)

Undecided. I'll figure it out as I write, and if you've read Emperor, you know I'm not above disregarding my own favourite pairing for something that fits the story better.

**Warnings**

Just to clear things up for those who might later say "Why didn't you tell us [insert complaint here] before we started reading?":

1. This story does use the occasional Japanese phrase. Naruto is a Japanese creation, and much of the flow of its universe goes over smoother when using the occasional Japanese terminology. That doesn't mean I'm about to pull a James D. Fawkes on you all and write up whole conversations in Japanese, but certain phrases or expressions _will_ pop up. The same applies to techniques; some will be in English, some in Japanese. Expect translations at the bottom when this occurs.

2. Chapters for this story will be shorter than the average chapter of Emperor. Why? It fit the flow of the story better, and doesn't require writing up major scenes of political, social, and economic situations of the entire goddamned Elemental Nations.

3. This story is secondary to Emperor. Expect me to work on that story _first and foremost_. That means that while I will be pumping out chapters for this one, the ones for Emperor take precedence.

4. No harem in this story.

5. _**No yaoi**_. If there's a LGBT character anywhere in this story (and I don't guarantee there won't), they'll not be paired with one of the canon characters.

Now then, on with the story!

* * *

><p>"Irasshaimase!"<p>

Hikari smiled at the store clerk as she stepped inside, pushing aside the flap that marked the entrance. It'd been a while since one of her clan had come to Konohagakure, the Village Hidden within the Leaves, but she was glad for it. After all, her clan's contacts had informed them that the village might have some of the medicine they'd been searching for.

Still, she wasn't about to finish her business all at once. While some of her clansmen would've undoubtedly been more efficient in searching for the medicine, it was her first time leaving the clan compound on this sort of quest, and she wasn't at all hurried to go back — especially since her relatives tended to get...loud.

Just the thought of her relatives made Hikari put a hand on a nearby wall and lean forward tiredly, a dark aura forming around her as she sighed at her family's men's penchant for idiocy.

...Not that the women were exempt from the family's typical merry-making, unfortunately. Hikari was all too aware that her cousin Nobuko quite enjoyed drinking her own father under the table, proving — somehow — that her liver was either made of steel or was a medical miracle.

Then, of course, there was Kimiko, whom everyone depended on for maintaining clan discipline, despite her young age. A Kuchiyose specialist, she was so skilled she was considered one of the clan's elites, right behind Nobuko's father and Elder Keisuke's grandson Raiden. Only Elder Keisuke himself, even at the insanely old age of 70, towered above them all in terms of strength, which explained how he'd kept the clan together.

...Though even that didn't stop them from nearly flattening the clan estate whenever one of their parties went...out of control.

Which was, unfortunately, every other day.

Unaware of the fact that she was causing a minor scene, Hikari wept silently, grumbling to herself comically at her misfortune for belonging to a clan full of fighting-happy morons. Just watching the young girl stand in that corner, mumbling to herself, had the store clerk silently pondering, even as she sweatdropped, whether it'd been a good idea to let the weird girl into the shop — particularly given the awkward stares other potential clients were giving her.

"Eh...miss?" she tried to snap the girl out of her self-induced funk. "I apologize, but you're scaring the other—"

"Ha...?" the expression Hikari wore when she turned around was enough to have the clerk squeak in fright. Much like the rest of the clan she cursed, Hikari had inherited a hair trigger temper and a dislike for being interrupted in her musings. Thus, when she turned her head to face the clerk, a dark shadow passed over her face and she sneered at the woman like a yakuza — completely going against the perky, happy image she'd presented upon entering the store. "You say something?" she demanded rudely, her tone very, _very_ easily conveying the fact that anything but a negative answer would result in pain.

The clerk again squeaked in fright and shook her head quickly before dashing for the safety of her cashier...though one had to wonder how much safety the lump of metal could _really_ bring to bear against the pissed off young girl in the corner of the shop.

Finally snapping out of her dark musings — some involving how best to punish her...exciteable male relatives — Hikari noted the looks she was getting and quickly figured out that the clerk had been asking for her to tone down the (she guessed) murderous aura she'd been projecting.

Sighing and once again blaming her family for this debacle, Hikari went for the medicine aisle to check what the store had in stock. Humming a clan song under her breath, she glanced at the labels with curiosity. Headache medicine, cold medicine, hemorrhoid medicine — she idly wondered whether she should bring some for Elder Keisuke, but then scratched that idea, since he'd probably beat the crap out of her for suggesting he needed it.

"Nara, Nara, Nara..." she mumbled, foregoing her humming in favour of reminding herself the brand of the medicine she was looking for. After all, that seemed to be the way this store arranged their products; so far, she'd seen Yamanaka headache pills, Akimichi soldier pills, and Hyuuga eye drops.

"Looking for something?" a young male voice asked. Turning her head to her left, Hikari blushed almost instantly as a handsome young man smiled charmingly at her. Oooooh...she'd _really_ hit jackpot when she'd asked to come to Konoha! Who knew they had such cute boys roaming around?

Ha! Who's the cow-breasted freak of nature lacking in sex appeal _now_, Moriko?!

Putting on her most winning smile, Hikari bowed shortly in greeting. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she apologized with extra sweetness and her posture arranged to emphasize her...assets. "I'm new in town, and I heard Nara medicines were the best to be had!" she then pouted as cutely as she could pull off — and judging by the gleam in the young man's eyes, it was quite a lot. "But I can't seem to find them..."

3. 2. 1.

"Why, allow me!" the young man, suddenly way more exuberant than his prior calm, cool charm had suggested, cried out, all but hypnotized by the delicious female morsel before him. It was just like her auntie, Nobuko's mother, had said before passing away: men are weak before the power that is the female form.

Heck, Hikari just stood back and watched as the young man went through nearly every shelf picking out medicinal products made by the Nara clan, each time asking her if that was the one she was looking for. After nearly fifteen no's, she squealed happily as he lucked out and provided her with the bottle she'd been searching for.

Rewarding the young man with a kiss on the cheek and slipping him a time and place for a date for the next day, if he was interested, she quickly stocked up on the particular medicine and went for the cashier, who eyed her warily — still remembering the dark aura she'd emitted only moments before.

When she finally left the store, Hikari was smiling brightly, happy to have accomplished her first out-of-estate clan mission. Pouting, she remembered how vocally Elder Keisuke had argued against letting clan men and women leave the estate before they reached the age of 18. Even knowing that children of 10 to 11 left the Great Villages as ninjas hadn't dented the man's stubborn streak. In fact, Hikari could honestly say that the reason she was even out of the clan compound was sheer dumb luck.

The Elder had been incapacitated by some illness — at 70, what _wouldn't_ floor him? Honestly. — and thus the decision regarding who to send out for medicine had rested on the shoulders of her Uncle Hiroki, who was much less of a stickler for rules. As such, he'd easily allowed Hikari to leave the compound, trusting her skills and know-how to keep her safe, even as she made her trek for Konoha.

….Okay, so maybe it hadn't been that easy. She'd had to convince her cousin Nobuko to slip copious amounts of booze into her uncle and then arranged for him some rather risque company to dally with. After that, it'd been a simple matter of asking him for the favour, and, being made pliant with booze and women, he'd readily agreed.

Hikari shuddered to think what Elder Keisuke would do to her uncle once the elder found out he'd been manipulated by his daughter and niece. Oh well; served him right for not keeping his guard up.

Still, it had been a worthwhile journey so far. The world outside the clan compound had always fascinated her. Uncle Hiroki would always tell the clan children stories of his adventures whenever Elder Keisuke sent him out on a mission, and she'd grown up hearing wondrous tales of ninja battles and the slaying of wild beasts that terrorized the countryside. She'd even heard of the Bijuu, but then what children of her clan hadn't? The Bijuu and her family had a special history, after all, and growing up they all had to learn everything there was about them.

So much so, in fact, that her clan treated the Bijuu like just another family tradition - nice to know about, but nothing really to get your panties in a twist over.

According to Elder Keisuke — who really loved imparting stories of his youth — that wasn't always the case. There used to be a time, he'd told them, when the Bijuu were central to their clan's very existence. He had, he claimed, personally known Senju Hashirama, the Shodai Hokage, whom the clan was taught to respect as the first man who managed to defeat the greatest of all the Bijuu — the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

Which made Hikari all the more giddy at being in Konoha. Growing up, she'd viewed the Shodai Hokage as a hero, and to now stroll through the village he'd co-founded was quite the trip. Looking towards the famous Hokage Monument, she couldn't help but sigh pleasantly at the carved faces of the Four Hokage. Even carved in stone, the expressions of the Four conveyed nothing but authority and power, and yet also a sense that they were watching over their village protectively.

Smiling to herself as she gazed upon the majestic stonework, Hikari ticked it off on her list of things to do while in Konoha. Unfortunately, that didn't exactly make the list shrink by all that much, considering she'd been all but assaulted by her underage relatives in order to get her to bring them souvenirs from the outside world.

As she went over the list — thank heaven for eidetic memory! — she sighed in resignation, again leaning against a wall, as she realized she'd have to go shopping for more sealing scrolls. Nobuko's order alone — enough alcohol to make a lush giddy for a year — would take up an entire scroll by itself.

Elsewhere in the Elemental Nations, a blonde, double-pig-tailed blonde sneezed just as she rolled the dice in a craps table, making the treacherous ivory cubes land on double 1's and increasing her gambling debt threefold.

Hikari sighed to herself in self-sympathy, wishing not for the first time that she could just live in a town like Konoha, rather than at the clan compound. She understood Elder Keisuke's reasons well enough — one of the principle rules of the clan was that there should be no secrets amongst clansmen — but as she walked down the streets of the busy town, wearing her usual clan getup, she couldn't help but notice the weird stares she attracted.

Then again, there weren't many people around who went about their business carrying a massive scroll on their back. It wasn't an exaggeration, either; the bloody thing was maybe a foot taller than her, and the only way she could carry it without dragging an edge across the road or acting like a walking barricade was to keep it diagonally strapped to her back.

Little did she know that it wasn't the scroll itself that attracted attention — rather, it was the fact that some petite girl could carry it without any seeming unease.

Not that Hikari was oblivious to the gazes she was attracting. Ever since setting foot in Konoha, she'd felt like she was being watched, and attributed that feeling to the ANBU her Uncle Hiroki had told her and her cousins about. Idly, she wondered if she'd get to meet one face to face...or face to mask, if the stories were true.

Then again, that would mean she was in trouble, right? Maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all...

"Yare, yare..." she sighed as she strolled down the market lane, her eyes half-lidded as she gave passing stalls a cursory glance for anything her relatives might want. After all, unless one of the clan left the compound on a mission, which they did every once in a while in order to feed, house, and clothe the clan, her family had no real links to the outside world.

A flash caught her eye then, and she turned her head towards the stall to the right, recognizing its wares as Iwa-crafted jewelry. Eyes sparkling, she quickly shuffled over to the stall, admiring the offered products like the young girl she was.

To be fair, Hikari had only ever seen this sort of high-end jewelry in the hands of some of her aunts, and even then, most of it had been melted down after the war had erupted and her clan was forced to flee from Iwa ninjas. The same happened to anything they'd owned from Kumo, for that matter. What little they had from either country were now considered bitter heirlooms, as a matter of fact.

Starry-eyed, she lifted one particularly pretty brooch, admiring it under the watchful gaze and grin of the stall vendor, when she heard a commotion brewing further down the street. Reluctantly, she turned her head towards the source of the noise, much to the vendor's disappointment, and was surprised to see what seemed to be the young store clerk she'd intimidated before shooing out, quite rudely, a young boy wearing the most god awful orange jumpsuit Hikari ever had the misfortune of laying eyes on.

Seriously, just looking at it made her want to claw her eyes out and purge them via exorcism ritual.

Still, something didn't quite sit right with the way the clerk was treating the young boy like some form of undesirable street trash. Sure, he seemed a little rough around the edges, but surely she'd made a worse impression than he did, right?

"Ah, it's that boy again..." she heard the Iwa merchant muse.

Hikari blinked and glanced curiously at the vendor. "Pardon?"

The man eyed her for a moment. "You from out of town, un?" he shrugged as she nodded and took a seat behind his stall. "Been seeing him around here for a couple of days, un," he grunted before taking out a pipe and lighting up. "Kind of a troublemaker, un."

Hikari didn't know what to make of the man's verbal tic, but it was starting to grate on her nerves. That said, she did find his information on the kid interesting, even if he did seem like the town pest, from the sound of things. "That bad?" she asked, resting an arm on her giant scroll container.

Again, the Iwa native shrugged. "He's not bothered me, un," he said noncommittally.

Hikari grunted in acknowledgement at the comment but otherwise stayed silent, keeping her eye on the downtrodden child as he trudged away from the shop.

'_I guess even Konoha has its rejects..._' she mused privately.

* * *

><p>Naruto had called it: today officially sucked.<p>

First of all, the Academy tutors had all but thrown him out for the day on a barely acceptable technicality — well, barely acceptable in his opinion, since he didn't consider pranking grounds for suspension, even if it _did_ mean the teachers were covered in itching powder — and Iruka hadn't been around to stop his suspension, as he usually did.

To make matters worse, he'd forgotten his lunch at school, and since he wasn't allowed on school grounds until tomorrow, that meant he had to suffer through hunger, given his sparingly rationed foodstuffs back home.

The blonde, orange-clad child sighed sadly to himself as he took a seat against the wall in a nearby alleyway. His latest attempt at window shopping had failed, too, on account of the prissy clerk at the cashier. Naturally, he'd called the harpy every name in the book as he was all but thrown out, though it did serve to reinforce his belief that the town hated him.

He scoffed then. What did he care? One day, he'd show them all! His eyes, almost instinctively, fell on the Hokage Monument. Whatever pranks he did on the place, it was a simple truth that he practically worshipped the village leaders. From the Shodai Hokage to the prematurely deceased Yondaime Hokage, he saw the great leaders of Konoha as an inspiration.

Thus, his dream to follow in their footsteps, and in so doing achieve the respect and acknowledgement of his peers.

Naruto had long ago learned that no amount of crying or shouting would really get him any acknowledgement. Pranks? Sure, he loved pulling those off, and yes, they did garner him some attention. However, he was also well aware that it wasn't the attention he wanted. For now, it kept him afloat, but he'd never dreamed of settling for that.

He flinched as he felt _and_ heard his stomach growl. Ideally, this would call for a trip to Ichiraku's Ramen Stand, the only place in town which would willingly and happily serve him, but he'd not yet managed to scrape together enough to pay for it. Sure, Old Man Teuchi would probably give him a freebie, seeing as he was cool and all, but Naruto hated charity. He really did.

A man, he believed, needed to be able to stand on his own two feet.

Still...maybe sitting in an alleyway wasn't the best way to ignore the hunger cramps. Picking himself up, he slowly emerged back out into the street, deliberately ignoring the looks of disdain and disapproval that marred the features of many of Konoha's citizens. He'd long since grown used to them, and while they still bothered him on an emotional level, he got his revenge by pranking the more serious offenders.

"Oh, look, it's _that_ kid..."

"Tch...brat. Always making trouble."

"...Can't believe they let _him_ enter the Academy..."

The comments always seemed to follow him wherever he went. Usually it was gossipy women, since the men of Konoha preferred more direct forms of disdain, like tripping him, "accidentally" throwing garbage in his way, and other, similar petty actions. Occasionally, if Konoha was nearing October 10th, he'd have to be on his guard for drunken revelers who wanted to "teach him a lesson," whatever that meant.

Honestly, what was _up_ with these people? His only comfort was that whenever mobs started to form, the ANBU were pretty quick to head them off and dispersed the drunken idiots.

Twitching irritably every time they threw out disparaging comments, Naruto finally felt himself snap when he overheard one particular civilian call him the forbidden word.

"...Damn shrimp."

Whirling around, Naruto planted his feet wide and pointed at the offender, wide eyed and pupil-less. "WHO'RE YOU CALLING A TINY SPECK OF DUST, _HAGE_!"

Naturally, this earned Naruto a chase through the market street by the offended civilian, whom Naruto enjoyed taunting terribly as he kept himself out of reach. Eventually losing the violently-inclined civilian, Naruto felt a grin form on his face as he came down from the adrenaline rush. Yeah, that was what he'd needed. A good old fashioned chase to get his blood pumping!

His mind having now blasted away any traces of thoughts relating to hunger, Naruto cackled to himself as he began plotting, from the safety of his darkened alley, who to prank for the day and how. Maybe it was time to pay the Akimichi food stores another visit? Last time he'd done so, the poor fa—...err..._hefty_ bastards had gotten laxatives into their systems, making the whole nearby area declared under quarantine and somehow causing a massive shortage of village-wide toilet paper.

Naruto cackled as he remembered that particularly enjoyable week. Even the Aburame's bugs wouldn't near the Quarantine Zone!

Granted, Choji had beaten the crap out of him when he'd (admittedly stupidly) boasted about the prank during lunch time. To be fair, he had it coming, and Naruto liked his...big boned...classmate. At least _he_ didn't call Naruto names. Sometimes he even tagged along for a prank, along with Kiba and Shikamaru.

Sure, they weren't _friends_...in the strictest sense of the word, but they tolerated each other well enough.

Granted, it was also stupidly easy to bribe Choji into doing anything. Give him a bag of chips and you could probably have the hefty boy pick a fight with the Kyuubi!

Speaking of classmates, Naruto wondered if perhaps his newest adventure in pranking should be targeted towards Konoha's darling boy: Uchiha Sasuke.

The leading candidate for Rookie of the Year was one person that really grated on Naruto's nerves. Glowering all the time and maintaining a brooding atmosphere about him, Naruto couldn't stand the sense of smug superiority that the duck-butt haired boy emitted anytime he lay eyes on him.

A fact only made worse by the fact that all the girls in the class thought that the emo boy was, in actuality, "mysterious" and "cool".

Honestly, if he continued to hear them lay praise at the altar of Sasuke's greatness, Naruto swore he'd hurl.

It was one of the few points of agreement between him and his male classmates, too.

Scratching his chin thoughtfully, Naruto wondered if perhaps there _was_ an excellent pranking opportunity to be had there. After all, the emo boy wonder felt so secure in his superiority that he would likely overlook someone like Naruto.

Cackling again, Naruto was unaware of the sweatdropping passerby who looked at the darkened alley as though someone crazy was about to pop out.

* * *

><p>Unfortunately for Naruto, his "brilliant" calculations had left out one teensy, yet unequivocally crucial detail.<p>

Sasuke was front-runner for Rookie of the Year _because he deserved it_.

Cursing the horrible entity known as logic, Naruto jumped roof after roof as a pair of Chunin who'd gotten in the way of the "masterful" prank chased after him — courtesy of a just-as-masterful dodge by the aforementioned duck-haired emo boy wonder — both of them covered in pink paint and sparkling body glitter.

"JUST WAIT TILL WE GET OUR HANDS ON YOU!" roared one of the sexually threatened Chunin.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" roared his life part — I mean, colleague.

Naruto grinned over his shoulder. "You know, denial is a sure sign of —-" he squeaked as he barely dodged a Fuma shuriken aimed at taking his head clean off. "Oi, that could've killed me!"

"THAT WAS THE POINT!"

Squeaking again as he dodged various implements of pointy death and/or maiming, Naruto craftily eluded the pair by casting a _henge_ on himself in order to appear like a trash can, which the enraged Chunin rather foolishly overlooked as it stood on a roof.

Dropping the _henge_, Naruto grinned as the walking gay pride parade continued on a wild goose chase in the opposite direction. Cackling mischievously, Naruto made his way towards his apartment building which, while decrepit and barely suited for human habitation, was nonetheless home for him.

It also helped that no one else lived there, since no one wanted to share even so much as a building with him. In fact, he'd often wondered why the building was still there, considering the manager himself had left quite a while ago. Oh well, at least he didn't have to pay rent!

As he drew nearer to his home, however, he began to notice what seemed to be a glow coming from the street — the type you usually saw coming from fire at a distance. Frowning, the young boy stopped his trek on the rooftop in front of his building and crouched down — experience having taught him that the less he stood out at night, the safer he was.

Naruto didn't regret that decision one bit.

Crowding outside his building was a group of his...well-wishers. Drunks, for the most part, but also the occasional sober mind who just got their kicks from hurting him. As a group, he watched them all but storm his building and start painting graffiti on the walls outside his apartment. A few even broke his windows, but none of that was damage beyond what he was used to. Thankfully, Old Man Teuchi didn't mind shopping in his stead, so long as Naruto fronted the money. The man was kind, not stupid.

Naruto watched silently as the crowd trashed the outside of his home, not really caring anymore. Thankfully, they'd long since stopped invading the apartment proper, since they'd realized he had nothing of value.

It took maybe half an hour before the group tired itself out and began leaving the building, and Naruto could see they seemed a little disappointed at not having caught him.

Though, he was pretty sure that even if they did catch him, they wouldn't have had the balls to do anything more extreme than hurl a few words of abuse. While gang beatings had been something of a worry in the past, Naruto had noticed that after the first couple such occasions, the mobs had all but disappeared, instead settling for pretty much making his life as much of a living hell as they could without actually laying hands on him. He never did quite figure out what had made them change their minds regarding visiting grave bodily harm on a child, but had decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Let's just say those were the days Ibiki Morino, Head of Torture and Interrogation, had been at his happiest and leave it at that.

Once the last of them had left the building premises and started making their way home, Naruto finally jumped down from his hiding spot and began the final leg of his journey home. He was right about to start the first flight of stairs up to his apartment, however, when he felt an incredible pain in his chest and was flung backwards, landing heavily on the ground, his breath all but gone.

"Knew I'd catch ya if I waited long enough!" declared a youthful (no, not that kind of youth) male voice as he emerged from the shadows of the staircase. Naruto's attacker was a handsome young man with a cruel expression as he looked down at his victim. "The rats always come back to their nest, after all."

Naruto, usually one to give as good as he got, was unable to reply as he still had trouble breathing.

"What's the matter?" taunted the young man as more hidden assailants began to emerge from their hiding places. "No smart-alec taunt? No defiant declaration?"

He rammed his boot into Naruto's stomach, launching the small boy a few feet away and further complicating his breathing problems.

"Trash like you ought to disappear," sneered the young man as he and his associates closed in on the fallen boy. "The adults might not have the guts to do it, but I do. Get'im, boys."

With roaring laughter, the group began to wail on Naruto, who instinctively curled into a fetal position to avoid getting hit in sensitive areas. To his credit, the young blonde refused to cry out in pain — he plainly rejected giving his attackers the pleasure of seeing him squirm!

After a moment, the young man raised his hand and the group stopped their assault. Squatting down, the ringleader grabbed a handful of Naruto's hair and lifted up his head. "Had enough, trash?" he sneered.

Naruto, finally able to control his breathing, merely grinned painfully in response. "Bring it on, asshole," he challenged defiantly. He was rewarded with a vicious right hook to the face, further aggravating his condition.

"Tch..." the young man clicked his tongue as he got back up, noting the redness of his knuckles. "Little bastard almost made me break skin," he groused before giving his victim a swift kick in the ribs — which, other than making Naruto twitch, got no reaction out of the boy.

"Oi, what now boss?" asked one of the less intellectually endowed members of the group.

The young man glared at his subordinate as though he were stupid — which...to be fair, he was. "What do you think?" he sneered. "Get rid of him. This village won't miss him, and dad'll finally be able to get rid of that eyesore," he added, jerking his thumb towards the decrepit building.

"Oh, so _that's_ how it is."

* * *

><p>Hikari had trouble falling asleep once she returned to the hotel.<p>

She didn't know why, but seeing that downtrodden child had really bugged her. It was odd, since he wasn't by far the only street urchin she'd seen, and she was realistic enough to understand that she could feasibly do nothing for them.

That one boy, however, had really stuck in her mind. Even as she packed the medicine in her bags (not that she was leaving; she was going to milk this visit for as long as she could), she couldn't keep her mind off of him.

There was also a sense of familiarity in him that bugged her. Like, as though she was looking at someone she _should_ know, but couldn't remember clearly. She knew, instantly, that he wasn't a clansman who'd run away — there was no such thing in their compound. Everyone who'd left during the Great Exile remained, as far as she understood, within their assigned groups. None of the other cells had sent word of a runaway, and to seal the deal for her, the kid was blond, not a traditional Uzumaki redhead.

Unable to fall asleep, she did the next best thing — go out for a walk. Actually, that wasn't accurate enough; rather, she went roof jumping.

She'd always loved high places, and roof jumping was a natural way for her to clear her mind as she simply focused all her thoughts on the next jump, and the next. Add to that the physical conditioning benefits and ongoing practice in chakra control, and she'd landed herself with a nifty and healthy way to calm her mind.

Unfortunately, her habit also had a tendency of making her stumble upon some troublesome situations. Why, one time, she'd accidentally slipped mid-landing and fallen on her fifth-degree cousin Amaya, who'd been trying to woo her cousin Yuki, the stepson of her Auntie Nana. Suffice to say, the Water user had been _very_ displeased, and made it _abundantly_ clear by using her techniques to wash her away into a stream.

Potential homicide and death by hypothermia aside, Hikari had learned to watch her step. Unfortunately, she was also prone to forgetting her lessons whilst roof jumping, landing her in the type of situation she was in right now.

Just as she was about to take another jump, she'd snapped back to reality quick enough to see that she'd reached a dead end, so to speak. Beneath her, only a street lay, and the nearest rooftop before her was several stories up. Sighing, she was about to change directions and continue her travels when she heard the familiar sound of a beating being delivered.

She then sighed despairingly as she recognized how messed up it was that she could instinctively recognize what a beating sounded like. Damn cousins and their stupid, boyish tempers!

Snapping out of another rage-inducing daydream, she blinked as she heard a familiar voice and looked down at the street, frowning as she recognized one of the group of people as the young man who'd assisted her at the store earlier that day. What on earth were they doing? Sparring at night?

The question answered itself quickly enough as the small crowd of thugs drew back, revealing a badly beaten boy. The sight was enough to make her dry heave in disgust, and she immediately levelled a glare at the young man whom she thought had been attractive mere hours ago.

Just as she was about to enter the fray and teach those idiots a lesson, however, she listened in on the boy and the young man's exchange of words, smiling despite herself as she listened to the child defy his attacker. She flinched, however, when she saw the young man viciously punch the boy in the face, and figured she'd waited long enough.

Raising her hands and making a familiar seal, she listened in as the young man ordered the thugs to get rid of the boy and his reasons for hurting him. Her glare only got more vicious as she realized he was just some two-bit dandy who probably lived off his daddy's money.

"So _that's_ how it is," she announced loudly, catching their attention and diverting it from hurting the boy any further.

"What the...?" started one of the thugs as they all looked up towards the roof and saw the redheaded girl standing there, a mightily displeased look on her face.

They had no time to say anything else, however, before a surge of chakra flowed through her and she separated her hands from in front of her face to slam them on the ground on each side of her.

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_" she called out, causing seals to form in a circle around the area she'd slammed her palms. "Yamainu! Kerberos! I call on thee!"

Twin howls sounded out in Konoha that evening as puffs of smoke heralded the successful completion of Hikari's Summoning technique. From the smoke, already mid-lunge towards the thugs surrounding the boy, were two massive wolves — one with a grey pelt, the other with midnight black — their jaws wide open as they went for the kill.

"Shit! A kunoichi!" shouted one of the thugs in alarm as they all fled from the wolves, who unfortunately missed their targets. Nonetheless, the duo took protective positions in front of the fallen boy, and their mistress soon joined them by hopping off the roof and gracefully landing between them.

The young man, however, kept his cool, even as the two canines snarled at him with barely restrained viciousness. He'd recognized the woman as quickly as she'd recognized him, and felt sure his charms would win her over, especially considering who she was guarding.

"I remember you," he called out to her with a slick smile. "The girl from the shop, right?"

Hikari maintained a glare as her hands fell on top of her summons' heads.

Undeterred, the young man reached for his pocket, causing the wolves and Hikari to stiffen, and then brought out a piece of paper that Hikari recognized — the proposed date she'd slipped him. "A little early for our date, aren't you?" he asked playfully, though Hikari could now see the malevolence that hid right behind that thin veil of charm.

"About that," she said with a wry smirk. "I'm afraid I have to cancel. I don't go out with child beating losers."

"Come now...there's no need to be so feisty," the young man brushed her insult aside. "If you come over here now and leave the brat be, I promise to show you a good time..."

Hikari raised a thin, reddish eyebrow at the proposal. Apparently, the idiot really believed you could smooth talk your way out of trying to kill a child. "You're joking, right?"

The young man blinked at her once, then twice, and finally sighed as he held his head in his hand, shaking it in disappointment. "Ah...what a pity," he mused out loud. "I guess this'll have to go down the hard way. Boys, get her."

Thankfully, the mass of less-than-admirable gentlemen hesitated to do so, seeing as how they now knew her to be a kunoichi. "B-But boss...she's..."

The man clicked his tongue irritably. "She's just one person with her two pets. Surely you lot can deal with that much? Or do I need to have my father evict you useless lumps from your homes?" he chastised.

That sealed it for the thugs. With a somewhat hesitant roar, the group of muscle-bound idiots charged her and her summons with wild abandon, somehow missing the trio rolling their eyes at the sheer idiocy they were displaying.

"Yamainu, left. Kerberos, right," she ordered calmly. Both wolves grunted in assent and dashed for their assigned side, leaving Hikari to fend off the thug vanguard by herself. While dealing with petty thugs wasn't outside the realm of her abilities, however, she couldn't leave the boy undefended, for which she slammed her hand on the ground beneath her with a grin directed at her attackers.

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_" she cried out. "Shiba! I call on thee!"

Another howl pierced the sky as the third of Hikari's wolf summons, of the Shikoku breed, charged out of the plume of smoke and held its ground a mere foot away from Hikari. "Shiba, protect the kid. I got these idiots," she ordered, receiving a growl in response.

Leaping over Shiba, just as the wolf hopped back to protect the boy, Hikari grinned at her attackers as she drew back her fist and nailed one of the thugs in the chin, dropping him like a stone. Then, pivoting on her foot, she used her free leg to roundhouse kick another couple of thugs before using it as another pivot to bring her now-free leg to smash in the nose of a third thug.

All the while, Yamainu and Kerberos, two of Hikari's most aggressive attack wolves, had launched themselves at the mass of thugs from the sides, quickly spreading panic amongst them as the duo latched on painfully to legs or arms, only letting go when their prey began to flee.

As Hikari and her wolf pack tore into the thugs, Naruto slowly regained consciousness — and just as quickly regretted it as pain wracked his senses. Glad, for once, that his healing factor seemed to be working overtime to keep him in one piece, Naruto groggily opened his eyes as the sound of fighting reached his ears. Were the thugs fighting each other? Well, they looked stupid enough, so he guessed it was a possibility.

And that's when he saw the wolf looking at him.

Freezing, the blonde boy stared at the wolf wide-eyed, as if hoping that lack of movement would make it choose something else to prey on. All the while, he kept a steady mantra in his head.

'_Please don't eat me, please don't eat me, PLEASE DON'T EAT ME!_' he repeated to himself almost hysterically.

And then the wolf licked his face.

Residents around Konoha would wonder for days afterwards as to where that distinctly shrill scream had come from. The ANBU, in particular, deployed forces all over the hidden village in the event that an invasion had occurred. Suffice to say, the experience was enough to make Naruto pass out again.

Meanwhile, Hikari was having the time of her life as she finally let loose and really did some damage on these child beating punks before her. Back home, all she could do was spar or brawl with her relatives, and none of that had the satisfying feeling of a _real_ fight.

This time around, with no elder around to tell her to stop, she could really lay it into the enemy, and she took to that like fish unto water. Crouching down to avoid a jab, she twisted her lithe body ever so slightly and then drove a screwdriver uppercut to her current opponent's chin, effectively lifting him off his feet and knocking him out for all intents and purposes.

Then, seeing in that split second that two more thugs were going to flank her on both sides, she twisted mid-air and landed a roundhouse kick, nailing both and knocking them, as they say, the fuck out.

Landing in a crouch, she swept her leg out, knocking a few of the idiots over, making them prime prey for Yamainu and Kerberos, who swiftly pounced on them as though they were fallen deer. By the time the dust settled on the fight, Hikari held one of the thugs by his shirt, the man long since unconscious, and her fist bloody, but otherwise completely fine. Hell, not even her getup was much affected by the fight. Then again, they _had_ been civilians.

"I'm sorry," she taunted the ringleader. "Didn't you say they were going to get me?"

By now, the young man was well and truly aware of how out of his depth he was. Initially dismissing the girl as just some wannabe, village-less kunoichi, her three summons and herself had taken out his best enforcers. "Just who the hell are you?!" he demanded as he stepped away from her and her summons.

Hikari sighed as she dropped the unconscious thug and stretched her arms above her head, feeling a pleasant pop in her joints. "Man, what a drag," she complained. "You're _that_ type? One little fight and you go blubbering like some nancy boy?"

She clicked her tongue irritably then, pointing and tapping at what the young man had assumed was just some custom embroidery just above her left breast on her low-cut, short-skirted white-and-purple yukata, under which a black mesh shirt could be seen, along with black mini-shorts peeking under the hem of her yukata. The symbol, however, was unmistakable: a spiral.

"Uzumaki Hikari," she introduced herself proudly before pointing at him, instigating her summons to slowly stalk towards him. The young man squeaked in fright as he was backed into a wall, though recognizing the family name she gave, of course. "Kuchiyose Specialist of the Uzumaki Clan."

"Uzu...maki?" he breathed, suddenly very aware of how much he'd fucked up. If that didn't tell him, though, the advancing wolves' gleam in their eyes did. He glanced at the fallen boy behind her and then back at his advancing doom. "You're..._his_ family?!"

That comment alone froze the three wolves and Hikari. Snapping her head back to stare at the unconscious boy (who, by the by, was also foaming at the mouth from his too-close-for-comfort meeting with Shiba), her eyes widened at the revelation that this boy might be one of the Uzumaki clansmen, or a descendant of one, who'd disappeared over the years before the Great Exile was carried out.

Now feeling a fury unlike anything she'd ever felt before, she slowly turned her gaze back towards the young man she'd, at one point, deigned to date. Nothing of that impression remained now — all she could see was an enemy of her clan who needed to be destroyed. Lifting her index finger, she pointed at him, a cold, vengeful gleam in her eyes. "Get'im."

The loud screaming soon caught the attention of a nearby ANBU squad, who quickly arrived to investigate. By then, however, all they could find were numerous heavily wounded civilians lying in a heap, a rather viciously disfigured young man mumbling hysterically to himself by a wall, and a note left on the heap that had many of the veteran ninja sweatdropping.

"_There was so much trash in the street, I took care of it!_

_Remember to recycle! ❤"_

It said. The fact that it also had a small, impromptu drawing of what seemed to be a grinning, short haired redheaded girl giving a peace sign merely served to add to the absurdity of it.

In the end, the ANBU squad merely decided to do what they always did when something like this happened: inform the Hokage.

* * *

><p>While the ANBU were doing the cleanup work after her thrilling escapade, Hikari had taken the young boy and brought him silently into her hotel room, having deduced that her charge seemed to be the object of disdain for most of the village. Dropping him on her bed, she left him asleep there and took a seat opposite the futon, against the wall.<p>

She drew up her knees and rested her head against them as she gazed at the sleeping, bruised boy. She hadn't stopped, in fact, since she'd put him on her futon and let him sleep off his beating.

Missing Uzumaki clansmen from before the Great Exile was a well known fact amongst her family. As they grew up, Elder Keisuke made sure to beat it into the younglings' minds to show respect toward their perished or missing clansmen. Every year, on the anniversary of the first day of the Great Exile, the entire clan — literally — would go to the family temple and offer prayers to the hundreds of names inscribed on a massive stone tablet — an everlasting monument to the sacrifice of the Uzumaki clan of Uzushiogakure.

The problem was, it had been years since word had come of any Uzumaki clansmen living in Konoha. Certainly, there'd been a time when her family would've populated the ninja village, and she knew all about Lady Mito and her relationship with the Shodai Hokage. She even knew of the Lady Kushina, Mito's chosen successor when the time had come for her to...pass on her burden. However, according to what the clan had learned, she had perished during the Kyuubi attack thirteen years ago, the great Bijuu disappearing along with her.

And with Kushina's passing, so did the last of the Uzumaki Clan Heads.

Originally, Lady Mito had been slated for succession, but her marriage to Senju Hashirama had eliminated her from the succession, and effectively transferred the responsibility of Clan Head to her father's brother's son, Kushina's father. When he died, the responsibility had fallen on Kushina, and just as the Uzumaki had been about to gather in order to agree to settle in Konoha, the Kyuubi attack happened.

For days, the Uzumaki elders had waited for Kushina to arrive at the meeting place, only to find out her fate by word of mouth.

Elder Keisuke always told the story of how the elders had despaired at the news. But as he told it, it was not a moment of failure and surrender, but perseverance. Hikari still remembered how he told that as the meeting fell apart, he'd sworn to keep the Uzumaki name alive, and called on the Clan to split into manageable cells in order to keep themselves and their heritage safe from the prying eyes and jealous greed of the Great Nations that had destroyed their homeland.

Hikari had only been three years old when the Split happened. All her life, she'd only recalled living in the compound, but she never once forgot the story of Lady Kushina and how the Uzumaki had gotten so close at settling in a new home.

Her steady gaze never wavered from the young boy. Could Lady Kushina have left an heir they didn't know about? Was he really an Uzumaki to begin with? His bright, yellow hair seemed to defy their age-old trademark...but then she knew of several cousins who shared this boy's lack of red hair.

Hikari growled in frustration as she scratched her head furiously, unsure how to proceed. If the boy was a long lost relative, then clearly she had to bring him to Elder Keisuke. Then again, she wasn't quite clear on what the boy's circumstances were, and bringing a total stranger to the compound would undoubtedly give the old man an aneurysm.

That meant Keisuke had to come to the young boy. There was really no other way around it. She guessed they could send Hiroki first, but then he was Lady Kushina's third degree cousin, so not exactly close.

She softly tapped her forehead to her knees, hugging them close to her body. Elder Keisuke it was, then. He'd been around long enough to know what to do.

Still, she couldn't help a small grin of excitement to form. If this panned out...

Maybe finally the Uzumaki could call a proper village home?

* * *

><p><em><strong>Post-AN: Oh yeah, forgot to mention: this is a slight crossover with another anime. Sort of. In reality, all that's really crossed over are the characters themselves, and even then the names have been changed (where applicable) in order to fit the Naruto universe. If you can guess which one between this chapter and the next one, kudos. Either way, expect everything technique-related to work based on <span>Naruto<span> universe rules. EDIT: Yes, it's Fairy Tail.**_

_**Also, I'm ashamed I actually resorted to use the "Mob beats up on Naruto" schtick. I even tried writing up alternatives but nothing really stuck. Well...at least I've established it's not a usual thing...**_

_**December 13, 2013 Update: Chapter has been revised.**_

**Glossary:  
><strong>

Irasshaimase - Welcome (to the shop)!...or something to that extent.  
>Yare, yare... - Dear, oh dear...<br>Hage - Baldy  
>Un - Yeah<br>Kuchiyose no Jutsu - Summoning Technique


	2. Lost Clan Arc: The Exiles

_**AN: And here's Chapter 2. To reiterate a few points brought up in reviews:**_

**_1. There is no harem in this story._**

**_2. No pairings have been decided upon at this stage._**

**_3. The Uzumaki Clan has never been truly expounded upon in the manga, other than Naruto and Kushina. One reviewer pointed out that judging from the manga panel where the Uzumaki Clan Head and the Shodai Hokage are standing by each other, the Uzumaki seemed a stern family, and their dedication to fuinjutsu would presuppose a good deal of discipline. I disagree. Coming from a massive family whose members typically wind up in positions of corporate administrators, high-end banking, politics, and other high-discipline demanding jobs, I can safely say that one's job does not necessarily reflect on the attitude of the person. I've lost count how many times my respectable aunts and uncles have made fools of themselves by partying wildly, the way I've come to portray the Uzumaki here (and the funny thing is, I've only migrated the Uzumaki clansmen' attitudes from their original show)._**

* * *

><p>Waking up the next morning, Naruto had no idea where he was, and the first thing that came to mind was to freak, as they say, the <em>fuck <em>out.

After all, if the last place you remembered being conscious at was a darkened street, surrounded by thugs, why the _hell_ would you feel safe if you woke up somewhere totally different?

Said hissy fit was quickly headed off, however, by the fact that he felt something flap onto his face. Frowning, he grabbed whatever it was and pulled down, wincing, cursing, and roaring as it ripped the tape right off his brow, taking a few eyebrow follicles with it.

"Mother-!" he roared, rubbing his head furiously in a vain attempt at lessening the pain, rolling around on the floor as he did so.

When he finally settled down, after cursing as many deities as he could think of, he glared at the piece of paper that had been so lovingly taped to his forehead/eyebrows. To his surprise, it wasn't the usual retarded "Go die in a ditch, demon" spiel.

"_Had to leave early. Room service is on the table. Also, took your jumpsuit. Appropriate clothes to the left of the futon._

_Be back soon~❤_

_PS: Lose the goggles. Seriously. Who uses goggles nowadays?_"

Naruto blinked confusedly at the note, wondering who on earth the author was. The last he'd recalled, he was in the middle of being pummelled to death by a group of less than reputable strongmen. Then, of course, there was that horrible nightmare about a wolf licking his face...

Shivering, Naruto realized he was actually stripped down to his underwear and gave a loud yell of surprise. Cursing whatever pervert had done this to him, his eyes immediately returned to the note, finally realizing what it said regarding his beloved jumpsuit.

Crestfallen at losing his sole companion through sunshine and rain (nevermind that it was a hideous fashion faux-pas that somehow miraculously didn't get him killed for standing out so much), Naruto vowed to find the clothes-kidnapper and deal unholy vengeance on them for this underhanded, fiendish act. It never once occurred to him, or his apparent kidnapper, that the boy had somehow managed to survive all these years and become a stealth expert while wearing the hideous thing.

Then, once the silly thoughts left his mind, he turned to his left, where, as the note had promised, a full set of clothes — neatly folded — lay waiting for him.

"Kidnapped, stripped, and now provided with clothes and food," he mumbled. "Kami, I hope I wasn't sold as a man whore."

Now, one might wonder how the hell a thirteen year old would know about such things; suffice to say, if you mostly live on the streets, you learned things. Not the most pleasant of things, but things nonetheless.

Eyeing the stack of clothes like it were a ticking time bomb, Naruto carefully approached it before warily poking it. Satisfied that nothing would jump out at him (bringing forward uncomfortable memories of his face licking wolf nightmare), he slowly unfolded the shirt and drew it up to inspect it.

Grey shirt. Well, not too bad, he supposed. And it did seem to have that cool orange spiral motif he always saw on the Konoha uniforms stitched on just above the hem of the short sleeves.

The pants weren't too bad, either, he supposed, though they had a decidedly bland look to them, being all black. In fact, he was, in his opinion, much too dangerously wandering into the realm of the emo getup. And by emo, he meant Sasuke.

Still...what else was he supposed to wear, now that his jumpsuit had been fiendishly kidnapped by some random stranger?

Reluctantly donning his new getup, he also noted the presence of some combat wraps with a note attached to them telling him to use it for his legs rather than hands. Sweatdropping at the new note, complete with a small redheaded girl giving a thumbs up, he idly pondered whether to ignore this one thing, still quite angry that he'd been stripped and kidnapped against his will — though how much will an unconscious person could have is up to debate.

Fingering the roll of wraps, he pouted thoughtfully as he also re-read the note, finally flipping it just in case. Apparently, his benefactor had thought of this too, merely adding an explanation why he should listen to...her, apparently.

As it stated, the principle thing about ninjas was their necessity to remain dexterous and limber at all times, with minimal chances of getting caught up in any sort of obstacle — own clothing included. Loose clothing, as such, tended to be one of the greater hazards of the ninja profession, as a simple slip or pull could effectively end his life.

The wraps, therefore, were meant for him to firmly attach his pants to his body, preventing him from ever having the misfortune of getting his pants snagged or tripping by stepping on the hem.

Looking down at himself, Naruto could see that the hem of his pants, in fact, reached just above his ankles, which he didn't think meant he'd be tripping over a lot. Then again, as the card said, better safe than sorry, and the wraps would help him avoid getting nicked in exposed areas, seeing as how they were ninja-grade resilient wrappings.

By the time he was done suiting up, feeling a little weird in having to take such care of his appearance, Naruto went over to the table talked about in the note to find his breakfast a little on the cold side, considering he'd just gotten up and taken such time dressing up.

Still, while it wasn't ramen, it was still quite good. If nothing else, he didn't think he'd ever had food of this quality, cold or not. Savouring the food — and naturally excluding the veggies — Naruto sighed in satisfaction as he patted his (for once) full belly, giving a small burp to show his appreciation.

Still, food and all aside, he couldn't help but feel a little (okay, a _lot_) worried about how he'd gotten here. More importantly, he still couldn't reconcile why someone had stripped him and just left him there. He figured that since no one had come in yet to demand services or some such that he wasn't a prisoner — well...if he was, he had to admit this was the most pleasant prison he'd ever heard of.

He broke from his musings when someone knocked at the door, however. Panicking again, somehow convinced that this visitor was some sort of pervert that had come to finally claim his prize, he quickly made his way for the window, pleased to see that it wasn't locked. Eyeing the surroundings, he quickly recognized the building he was in as one of the fancier hotels in Konoha — much to his surprise; he'd been so sure his kidnapper would've stashed him in some dark and leaky warehouse.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, however, the blonde did as any would-be kidnapping victim did and quickly jumped, landing on his toes on a nearby roof — much to the surprise of passerbys on the main street — and dashing away.

Meanwhile, back at the room, the door unlocked and opened to reveal a young woman in a kimono and apron, holding up a duster. "Room service!"

* * *

><p>When Hikari finally returned to the Uzumaki compound, she was sad to say she wasn't at all surprised at seeing her Uncle Hiroki hanging down from a crossbeam from his ankles, completely tied up and with a seal tag labeled "PUNISHMENT" on top of the ropes, his face red but otherwise ridiculously jovial. Apparently, Elder Keisuke had finally gotten around dishing out punishment for letting an underage clansman leave the compound.<p>

"Hey Oji-san," she greeted with a smile and a wave.

Ridiculously, Hiroki gave her an upside-down grin and an attempted wave of his own, making him sway carelessly. "Ossu, Hikari-chan!" he called back as he swayed from side to side.

And then a small rock nailed him in the temple. Hikari sweatdropped as she listened at her uncle swear enthusiastically.

"DAMNIT, NOBUKO! WHAT THE HELL?!" he roared, wriggling in pain.

"ELDER KEISUKE SAID NO TALKING!" she heard the man's daughter shout right back. While Hikari would've loved to say this was an exceptional moment in her family's daily ongoings, that would've been a lie. A sad, sad lie.

Reaching the front gate, she ignored the ongoing shouting match between father and daughter and made the hand seal necessary to unlock the gate. Having spent most of their lives in hiding from jealous and greedy persons, the Uzumaki compounds were all sealed up to the eleventh degree. Hell, even trying to jump the compound walls was just a way to earn oneself a quick and horrifying death.

Fortunately, however, every clansman and clanswoman was taught the appropriate hand seals for deactivating the gate seals. Quickly flipping through the combination, she ended the seven-seal code with a clap of her hands, causing the gate to glow briefly before ebbing away and causing a distinct clicking sound to emanate from it. Pushing open the gate's wooden door, she smiled as she saw the compound sprawl out before her once more.

"Ossu, itoko!" she heard Nobuko call out to her in greeting, sitting on her room's porch. The raven-haired beauty of the Uzumaki clan, dressed in a simple, single-dye yukata, was casually lounging on the porch in a most unwomanly fashion, holding up a cup of sake in one hand with a grin and a blush. Beside her sat a brown bag of what seemed to be rocks. "How was Konoha?"

Hikari really wanted to sit down and gossip with Nobuko about her travels, but her errand unfortunately came first. "Sorry, cuz, can't stay and chat right now!" she replied with a wave before eyeing the still hanging Hiroki. "I'm guessing jii-chan found out?"

Nobuko nodded happily as she put down the (now empty) cup. "Yep!" she gave a mildly drunken peace sign. "Told me to deal with dad's punishment and all!" Apparently ignoring the fact that she'd also been the one to slip in the drinks and women to loosen up her father.

Well, that explained the hanging, Hikari supposed as she eyed her red-faced uncle, who'd gone back to idly swinging in mid-air. Being an genjutsu specialist, Nobuko would've found it easy to catch her father offguard and humiliate him this way — a favoured pastime of hers. Not that Uncle Hiroki minded terribly — he was so laid back it was ridiculous.

"Where're the boys at?" she asked as she walked past the porch.

Nobuko shrugged. "You know how those idiots are," she said casually before gulping down another cup and giggling. "Natsu's probably picking a fight with Yuki or Raiden again."

Hikari sighed tiredly at that, though she kept walking past the porch, ignoring the fact that Nobuko kept flinging stones at her father's head every now and then, eliciting a string of rather extreme curses from the normally mild-mannered, goofball of a man.

Walking down the streets of the clan district, Hikari smiled and waved at the varying clansmen and clanswomen who lived in the small village-sized compound. Approximately one hundred and fifty Uzumaki clansmen called the compound home, and maybe a fourth or a full third of them had never even seen Uzushiogakure!

As for how they managed to keep so many clansmen hidden, the Uzumaki refugees had relied on a combination of their legendary fūinjutsu and simply not standing out. Knowing full well that proclaiming themselves to be ninja would just draw attention, Elder Keisuke had simply ordered the compound to emulate a walled peasant village. As such, there were no overt signs of the inhabitants being highly trained dealers of death.

To that end, there were no forges — that one could see, that is. Instead, there were butcher shops, candy shops, tailors, repairmen, restaurants...everything that any normal village might have.

Granted, no one ever visited the compound, being that the clan's fūinjutsu established several highly sealed wards that would place the victim in a disorienting genjutsu. Nonetheless, Elder Keisuke had noted that Uzushiogakure, too, had been so protected, yet still fell before the might of the Great Nations.

Thus, to avoid taking any unnecessary chances, the clansmen lived out their daily lives like any other peasants, keeping their ninja activities strictly on the down low.

"Oh, Hikari-chan! Welcome back!" she heard one of the elder clanswomen call out to her with a smile and a wave.

"Thanks, oba-san!" she called back with an equal smile and a wave of her own.

The sound of children laughing brought a smile to her face as she continued walking down the path towards the central house, where Elder Keisuke resided. She hesitated to admit it, but she'd missed the sounds from the Uzumaki compound. Konoha had been nice and all — minor, unfortunate fights aside — but there really was no place like home.

"Hikari-chan!" she heard someone call out from ahead, and smiled at the sight. Her older cousin, Akemi, was apparently out for a walk, her brother Daisuke probably along to ward off any suitors. At 18, Akemi was one of the Uzumaki clansmen who were allowed out of the compound on missions. Unfortunately, she didn't usually get assigned to leave, as she was much too conspicuous. Not due to any fault of her own, however; she was simply too pretty to _not_ stand out.

Not that Akemi seemed to mind, on the other hand. Rather than go out on missions, she seemed perfectly happy to stay back and take care of teaching the Uzumaki children and working at the clan's sole bar.

Personally, Hikari found Akemi to be her favorite cousin. Between her kind demeanour, natural ability as a ninja, and stunning looks, she was quite obviously her role model.

"Ossu, Akemi-chan, Daisuke-kun!" she greeted right back with a wide grin.

Her older cousin smiled kindly as they came to a stop near each other, her hands demurely kept to her front. "How was your first mission?" she asked kindly.

Hikari smiled nervously as she scratched the back of her head. "Well, I don't know about _mission_..." she started, knowing full well that she'd pretty much broken all the rules by leaving the compound at her age, no matter if the acting head had authorized her to do so.

Daisuke grunted. "Oh, stop being so wishy-washy!" he scolded gruffly before crossing his arms over his chest. "Real men ought to stand proudly by their achievements!"

Sweatdropping at the bold statement, neither woman had the heart point out that Hikari was, in fact, a girl. Instead, they opted to just ignore him and continue their chat without him.

"Still, it must have been exciting, right?" Akemi pressed with a knowing smile. "I remember my first mission — I was shaking like a leaf!"

"Yeah...exciting..." Hikari agreed a little underwhelmingly. "Let's just say Konoha wasn't exactly how I pictured it," she decided to say diplomatically.

A thought occurred to her at that moment. "Say...Akemi-chan? You remember when the Split happened, right?"

Her older cousin pouted pensively, a finger cutely propping up her lower lip. "Hmmm...not well, but a little, I guess. Why?"

"Did Lady Kushina have any family left when she was going to bring us to Konoha?" Hikari asked regardless.

Tilting her head to the side as she recalled those dark days, Akemi stood there silently for a while, still ignoring her younger brother, before shaking her head, a sad smile on her face. "Not that I can remember, sorry," she said with an apologetic smile. "I think Elder Keisuke would be the only one to know for sure, if anyone."

Hikari sighed, having lost a chance to possibly solidify her suspicions before she talked with the Elder in question. As it was, all she had was the word of an attempted murderer and her own suspicions.

"How come? Did something happen in Konoha?" asked Akemi, having deduced that something about Kushina's lineage was bugging her.

"Maybe," Hikari answered noncommittally. "I need to ask Keisuke-jii first."

"I see," was all Akemi said, her sweet smile still in place, though a glint of...something passed through her gaze. "Then I wish you best of luck, Hikari-chan."

Hikari bowed in thanks at her older cousin. "Thanks, Akemi-nee!" she said a little enthusiastically, happy to have her older cousin's approval.

A few minutes later, she passed by another couple of familiar faces, though one of these seemed to be sleeping, while the other looked at the first's cushion somewhat jealously.

"Amaya!" she greeted, foregoing the use of honorifics for her all-but-sister. The dark-haired girl looked away from the object of her jealousy and smiled at seeing her best friend coming up the dirt road.

"Hikari!" she greeted with a wave, though she took great pains to avoid shouting, considering that her would-be boyfriend was sleeping next to her. "How was the outside world? Scary?"

Hikari shrugged. "Not that much, really. Big, though. Lots of people, too," she said, almost feeling like a broken record, considering how many people were asking her that question. To be fair, most clansmen didn't get to go outside the compound.

Amaya nodded wisely before grinning mischievously. "Did you see Uncle Hiroki?" she asked.

Hikari returned the grin. "I did! Nobuko's having fun nailing him with stones!"

Amaya raised an eyebrow. "Really? She's upgraded, then. Last I saw her, she was using him as target practice for her cards."

"Must've gotten bored with that," Hikari giggled. "He's cussing up a real storm every time she hits him."

"I think I'm going to too, if you two don't stop yapping and let me _sleep_!" the two girls heard a male voice grumble.

Looking at Amaya's side, Hikari saw Yuki glaring at her. "Seriously, what's up with you two? Can't let a guy take a nap in peace?"

Hikari raised a challenging eyebrow. "And what's with you? Can't stop that stripping habit of yours?"

Yuki blinked before looking down at himself and noting, as Hikari had quite rightly pointed out, that he'd somehow lost the summer yukata he'd been wearing, leaving him in his underwear. To Amaya's credit, she'd long since gotten used to the boy's unconscious stripping habit. It got pretty bad at times, though — why, this one time, at a clan dinner...

Err...never mind.

Anyway, Hikari had to repress a tired sigh as she watched Yuki freak out at having somehow misplaced his clothes...while wearing them. While asleep. _Lying down_.

Sometimes, she really pitied Auntie Nana.

Noting something out of the ordinary, Hikari looked around before blinking confusedly at Amaya. "Say, where's Natsu? Nobuko said he'd probably be around here, picking a fight with Yuki."

"He tried," Amaya confirmed. "But Yuki-kun wouldn't wake up for anything, so he left. He's probably going to pick a fight with Raiden and try to take the First Dragon title."

Hikari face palmed at that, knowing how it would end. The Four Dragons were the Uzumaki clan's four strongest offensive shinobi. Each one, in turn, possessed a mastery of a particular element. The Dragons, naturally, were ranked in terms of strength, and Natsu, for all his faults, was ranked as the Second Dragon, while Raiden was the First.

That didn't mean that he was stronger than _all_ of the Uzumaki clansmen, however. Elder Keisuke could still smack him down proper, and after once challenging Akemi, Natsu had never again dared to do so again — heck, he even shivered every time someone brought it up!

Of course, there was also Kimiko, who pretty much outmatched everyone in the clan save Raiden, Elder Keisuke, Uncle Hiroki, and Akemi...

The point being, being the Second Dragon was a great honor, but by no means a confirmation that he was stronger than everyone. Moreover, the gap between Raiden and Natsu was...ridiculous, to say the least.

"He's going to get his ass kicked again," Hikari groaned.

"Has that ever stopped him?" Yuki spoke up, having returned with a modest yukata now in place. "You know he challenged Kimiko while you were away?"

"Again?" she asked tiredly.

Amaya nodded with a smile. "She wiped the floor with him in ten seconds flat."

"I swear...I'm going to put that boy on a leash!" Hikari grumbled irritably. As her parents and Natsu's were unfortunately long deceased, the two had lived together for most of their lives, and people generally expected the Kuchiyose Specialist to keep Natsu in line.

"Maybe it'd be best if you did," Yuki said wryly before noticing someone walking past the front gate. "Oi, Sora! Look who's back!"

Said clanswoman of the Uzumaki Clan, Sora, looked over and smiled widely as she noticed Hikari. Rushing over, she hugged the older girl for all she was worth. "Hikari-nee! You're back!"

Chuckling nervously at the sudden display of affection from the girl, hardly able to believe that this fourteen-year old girl was potentially so much more powerful than she was, standing as the Fourth Dragon of the Uzumaki Clan. "Yeah, yeah..." she said lamely as she patted the girl's head. "You've been good, yeah?"

The girl nodded fervently. "I have!" she replied proudly. "I've patched up Natsu-nii four times since you left!"

The three other clansmen sweatdropped at that. Sadly, though, none could admit to being remotely surprised.

"Might want to get ready for a fifth time, then," Yuki mumbled as Hikari seemed on the verge of crying comically at the news that Natsu was going about causing trouble.

Sora blinked up at Yuki and tilted her head in confusion. "Hm? What do you mean, Yu—" she started, only to be interrupted by a loud explosion coming from the center of the compound. Anywhere else, that might've been reason to panic, but considering how charged the air now felt, all of the clansmen had deduced what had happened pretty easily.

"Ah," was all Sora said as she realized what had happened. "Natsu-nii picked a fight with Raiden-sama, didn't he?"

Amaya giggled while Yuki shrugged. "You'd think he'd have learned his lesson by now," grumbled the dark-haired teen. He then shivered. "Damn, I hate it when Raiden goes off like that. All this electricity in the air makes me feel terrible!"

For her part, Hikari was leaning against the fence, looking completely downtrodden as she knew Raiden would be on her case for letting Natsu run rampant like that. And then, of course, Kimiko would stare at her with that hard gaze of hers as a form of silent chastisement, which unfortunately worked quite well. There wasn't a single Uzumaki clansman who could stare Kimiko down — not even Elder Keisuke or Raiden. Even Moriko, who specialized in eye-contact offensive genjutsu, didn't dare match the stronger girl's stare.

"Better get to Elder Keisuke now, or else you might get mixed up in this latest fight," Amaya told her best friend with a comforting smile.

Hikari sighed again and nodded in thanks. "Yeah...you're right. See ya, Yuki, Amaya," she said while waving goodbye and moving towards the entrance. She only stopped to spare Sora a commiserating look. "Could you see to the idiot's wounds for me, Sora-chan?" she asked.

The younger girl nodded tiredly. "Hai, Hikari-nee..." she answered.

Fortunately for Hikari, the rest of the trek to the main house didn't take her by any more troublesome relatives, though she did stop by the candy shop to grab herself some sweets for later on.

Arriving at the main house, however, brought forth a sense of foreboding that she couldn't quite shake off. Elder Keisuke, despite not being Clan Head nor wanting it, was nonetheless the leader of the refugees, and she was well aware that her little sortie had broken nearly every rule in the book regarding Clan Safety. While he couldn't dispute the legitimacy of Hiroki's permission, he _could_ make her life very miserable for having deliberately manipulated events so as to acquire said permission.

At the fence gate of the main house, she was met by one of the last persons she'd wanted to see — Raiden himself, apparently none the worse for wear after his little fight with Natsu. The blond-haired teen looked bored, in fact, though that expression quickly vanished as he saw Hikari approach.

"So, you're back from your little joyride," he noted indifferently, hands in his pockets. "Make sure you keep that pet of yours on a leash. Little bastard challenged me in the middle of a training session with the brats," he told her as he passed by, not even sparing her a second glance.

Hikari said nothing as the monstrously powerful clansman passed her by, simply glad to be away from his presence. Even when not in battle, Raiden emitted a low-yield, but definitely tactile field of electricity around him, causing the points of her hair to rise ever so slightly.

Shivering at the uncomfortable feeling, she nonetheless steeled herself and moved into the main house's perimeter, taking courteous care to remove her footwear by the entrance as she stepped onto the porch and slid open the door to the main hallway.

Stepping lightly, as Elder Keisuke demanded, she slowly made her way down the hall towards the room at the end, which served as the Elder's audience room/personal study.

Kneeling by the sliding door, she was about to knock on the wooden frame when she heard the Elder call out to her from within.

"Come in, Hikari."

Swallowing nervously, she obeyed his command by sliding open the door and swiftly shuffling in, before closing the door, turning on the spot, and bowing respectfully while in _seiza_ at the Elder of the Uzumaki Clan.

"I'm back from my mission, Keisuke-choro," she reported in formally mid-bow.

The Elder harrumphed at her proclamation, telling her exactly what he thought of her mission's legitimacy. "Quite. Report, Hikari."

Swallowing silently in an attempt to ward off her nerves, she nodded even as she remained bowed. "Choro-sama, my trip to Konoha proved fruitful, as I have returned with the medicine you requested," she stated simply as she put a bag holding the mentioned medicine before her. "Furthermore, I have ascertained that, as our intelligence suggested, the stores there provide the best price for medicinal supplements — much better than the rates offered in Kusa or Taki."

The elder gave another grunt as he continued his brushwork, not once stopping to better focus on her.

"Is that all?" he asked gruffly, his displeasure bleeding through every word he spoke.

Hikari winced. "I...I think I may have stumbled upon something of importance while on my mission, Choro-sama," she said demurely. "But before acting on it, I thought it best to let you know."

"A wise decision, for once," the octogenarian elder grumbled as he finally put down his brush and turned to look at her. The great leader of her Uzumaki cell, Uzumaki Keisuke, frowned at her with all the force his diminutive physique, standing at a good four feet tall, could muster. On anyone else, it would've looked comical to see her sweat so profusely before such a small person, but Keisuke's sheer force of presence made one quickly realize that this was a man you most certainly did _not_ mess with. "You've seen what happened to Hiroki, yes?" he questioned her.

Hikari swallowed loudly. "Y-Yes," she confirmed.

Keisuke kept his frown on her before nodding. "Good. Don't let it happen again," he said, before the tension in the room lessened considerably and he sat, crosslegged, before her, a kind, grandfatherly smile on his face. "Now, tell me what you saw that has you so rattled, child," he said gently.

Hikari slowly raised her head and had to restrain a loud sigh of relief at having gotten off so lightly. Had it been Natsu, she wouldn't have doubted for a minute that Keisuke would've punched him through the wall for his idiocy.

Getting serious, however, she sat up in seiza and frowned at the Elder thoughtfully. "Before I begin, Chor—" she started, only to be held up by Keisuke's hand going up.

"Call me as you usually do, Hikari-chan," he said with a smile. "I hate formalities except for when they're needed. You know that."

Stumbling over the words, Hikari nonetheless nodded and ploughed on. "Hai, Jii-chan," she complied. "As I was saying, I need something confirmed first," she stated, and found courage to move on as she saw him motion for her to ask away. "Did Lady Kushina have any living family when she died at the hands of the Kyuubi?"

Keisuke blinked at the question, having honestly not expected it. If anything, he'd been waiting for Hikari to mention some odd fact or another, since she'd been so sheltered all her life. In fact, when both Raiden and Akemi had returned from their first foray out of the compound, they're expressed some confusion regarding the outside world, which he'd had to correct.

"Family? Not that I can remember..." he mumbled as he scratched at his fabulous, greying mustache. Only the odd tinge of red here and there gave any indications that he'd once sported the famous red hair his clan was famous for. Shame that Raiden hadn't inherited it, though. "I think she was still seeing that Namikaze boy when she died, though."

Hikari froze, having never heard of that aspect of Kushina's history. "Namikaze? As in...the Yondaime Hokage?" she breathed.

Keisuke blinked, having mumbled it out without thinking. Still, he shrugged, since it wasn't particularly important at the moment. "Yeah, the very same," he stated indifferently. "Bit of a nancy boy for my liking, but then there's no accounting for taste."

Hikari goggled at Keisuke, not believing what she was hearing. _The_ Lady Kushina had been seeing _the _Yondaime Hokage? Heaven above, if they'd ever had a kid...

For the second time since she'd entered the room, Hikari froze, having arrived at a conclusion she'd only briefly given thought to on her way back. Could that boy perhaps be...?

Quickly bringing forward her giant scroll, she ignored Keisuke's curious questions as she unrolled it until the scroll's paper revealed the array for a storage seal. Raising her left hand in a partial Ram seal and her right on the seal array, she called out, "**Kai!**"

A burst of smoke later, which she waved away, Naruto's old orange jumpsuit lay on the tatami floor of Keisuke's personal study. The Elder in question merely raised an eyebrow at the garish garment.

"Your tastes have changed since last I saw you, Hikari-chan," he mused. "Is this what you kids call fashionable?"

Hikari blushed before shaking her head. "It's not mine!" she protested. "It's a boy's I met in Konoha!"

If possible, Keisuke's eyebrow rose even further. "You know I'm always glad to talk to you, Hikari-chan, but aren't you a little young to be showing off your...trophies?" he asked, torn between being amused or horrified.

"It's not like that!" she snapped, being reminded of how stubbornly obtuse her family could get and how it was unfortunately genetic. "I rescued this kid from being killed right in front of his home," she related. "He was wearing this crime against fashion and I took it from him before coming here."

"..." Keisuke didn't need to utter a word. The look on his face showed what he thought of that rather rushed explanation.

"For the last time, I didn't sleep with anyone!" she all but shouted, causing something outside the window to thump loudly. No doubt some of her busybody cousins wanting to listen in on an "important mission debriefing."

"I believe you," Keisuke told her in a tone that clearly told her he believed no such thing. Had she really garnered such a reputation as to deserve this treatment?

"Anyway," she growled, any and all tension she'd had upon arriving at the house completely and utterly gone. It was replaced, however, with mounting frustration. "I had a suspicion about the boy's parentage. I think he's a lost Uzumaki."

All joviality immediately faded from Keisuke's face as he processed that statement. "Come again?" he asked carefully, not entirely sure he was hearing right. At eighty years of age, he wouldn't have been surprised if his hearing was shot to hell.

"I think he's one of us," Hikari pressed before slamming a hand on the jumpsuit. "I brought this here to confirm it. We have tracking fūinjutsu to determine identity, right? This eyesore should be able to tell us his!"

"Hikari, this is no laughing matter," Keisuke warned her, frowning once more. "All Uzumaki clansmen were accounted for before the Split. As far as we know, the four cells are the only Uzumaki remaining."

"What if Lady Kushina had a son? A son she kept secret, for whatever reason?" she pressed. "Jii-chan, if he _is_ a relation, shouldn't we try to claim him? To help him?" she demanded. "He was about to get _killed_, Jii-chan, by some lowlifes who claimed no one would miss him! We can't let a clansman go down like that!"

From the look on Keisuke's face, Hikari could see she'd struck a chord in the older man's heart. Keisuke had lived for so long that he'd borne witness to the Second and Third Shinobi Wars — the former of which had seen his village and country destroyed at its onset — losing many clansmen in the process. He'd also watched as his homeland, his country, and his family was ripped apart by jealous nations. Ever since then, he'd vowed to protect the Clan no matter what, and the idea of leaving a clansman, even a potential one, out to dry was hideously antagonistic to his vow.

"If..._if_ the boy is Uzumaki, we will move in and secure him," he decreed, eliciting a look of joy from Hikari. He was quick to shut that down, however, with a frown. "But Hikari-chan, bear in mind that if he _is_ Lady Kushina's son, that means it will be our duty to elevate him to Clan Leader, and to move our Clan, as a whole, to Konoha. Do you understand that?" he asked.

Hikari nodded seriously. "I do, Jii-chan."

Staring at her for a moment, Keisuke sighed and nodded in concession. "Very well. Leave the clothes here. I'll have someone look at it. If he is one of us, I'll announce it later. Until then, not a word on this to anyone, clear?" he asked her seriously.

"Crystal, Jii-chan," she confirmed.

"Good, dismissed."

Keisuke waited until she'd left before turning his attention to the orange jumpsuit, a little torn by this revelation. While he'd never yearned for the leadership position of his clan, Keisuke could only feel apprehension at the idea of handing over control to a youth possibly younger than Hikari. Yet, as an Elder of the clan, it was his duty to do so.

The dilemma raged in his mind for a good fifteen minutes before he sighed and scratched at his bald head. "Did you get all that, Akemi-chan?" he asked calmly.

A ripple in the air behind him soon made way for Akemi to appear. "I did, Choro-sama," she confirmed with a smile.

"Your thoughts?" he asked. Akemi, while perhaps not out on as many missions as the rest of the clan, was nonetheless one of Keisuke's most trusted agents. Only those missions considered too hard for Raiden or Kimiko were granted to her — typically whenever Hiroki wasn't around. So far, she'd succeeded at every one.

"Hikari-chan means well, but maybe she's reading too much into this," the experienced kunoichi opined. "On the other hand, she seems fairly certain, and she _did_ provide you with some evidence. I don't think it'll hurt to check out this lead, honestly."

"I agree," the octogenarian shinobi agreed gruffly. "Call in Eiji and Maki, and tell them to run an identification seal on the clothes. Make sure they don't blab about the results, either. I want as little people to know until I announce the results."

"Hai."

With the sound of a rush of wind, Akemi was gone, the jumpsuit taken, leaving Keisuke alone with his thoughts.

* * *

><p>Back in Konoha, Naruto was discovering something incredible about his new clothes.<p>

They made him invisible!

Well...okay, so maybe it wasn't that straightforward. The clothes were just clothes, and were most certainly not imbued with the power of invisibility. Rather, it seemed that the townspeople were so used to his orange jumpsuit that most of them just seemed to overlook him as he walked down the streets in his grey shirt and black trousers. Heck, now that he was missing the jumpsuit, he didn't look quite so bulky, either!

Some shops didn't even notice who he was until it was _far_ too late!

Needless to say, Naruto found out just how much they were overcharging him when he managed to walk out of a store with his arms full of much-needed supplies at three times less the cost he usually paid.

While he still felt some ill will towards his mysterious benefactor for taking his beloved jumpsuit, Naruto couldn't deny that his daily life had become marginally better. If nothing else, he wasn't found out as often, and he realized he could get away with many more pranks now that hiding wasn't such a chore (_YOU_ try hiding wearing an orange jumpsuit!).

Even Ayame had complimented his new look, making the pre-teen blush in embarrassment as she'd gushed over his new look. When he'd cautiously asked her if he should ditch the goggles too, however, she'd shot that down, having seen how much he treasured them. She did, however, recommend he sling them around his neck instead. When he had, it had been all she could do not to glomp him right there and then, telling him instead that he looked damn cute with his hair down. Teuchi had to intervene at that point, lest the poor boy's chastity become threatened. The ramen chef did, however, tell him he approved of his wardrobe change.

Feeling a little more secure in his image now that his two precious people had acknowledged it positively, Naruto had all but strutted into the Academy, proud of how he looked for once.

Somewhat amusingly, however, Iruka apparently had trouble finding him amongst the students, having lost that precious orange-y beacon that always told him where Naruto was.

Though the look did earn him some brief, appreciative glances from some girls, however, his school life didn't change much, to his disappointment. The girls still fawned over Sasuke, the boys either ignored him, were indifferent to him, or actively ostracized him; and only Iruka and Mizuki seemed remotely concerned about his education — though to be fair, Naruto had long since given up on that, seeing as how the other teachers had all been pretty much dead set on failing him.

Recently, however, he'd begun to notice something strange.

About a week and a half after he'd woken up at the fancy hotel room, he'd begun seeing strange people staring right at him. Now, usually this meant nothing to him, as people would _always_ stare at him, for one reason or another. This time, however, there was no orange jumpsuit to blame, nor were the gazes hostile. If nothing else, Naruto felt...observed, in a word. Like the way his classmates sometimes observed a dissected frog or anatomical model that Iruka sometimes broke out for anatomy classes.

At first, he felt he was just seeing things, but as the days progressed, he couldn't help but notice that there was always someone watching him. Whether it was a pretty teenage girl sipping some tea at the dango shop, or a rough looking young man with piercings along his nose at the weapons shop, or even a total stranger eyeing him whenever he thought Naruto wasn't looking while eating at Ichiraku's — it didn't matter where he went, he felt watched, and frankly it was making every instinctive alarm in his body go nuts.

The Konoha ninja, however, never seemed to act on the strangers. For some reason, they simply passed under the radar for most people. He'd once bumped into such a stranger on purpose, just to try and goad a reaction out of them, but the big man just grunted at him and mumbled something about real men watching their step, even as he tipped his straw hat forward to hide his face.

He'd even tried to prank one of the watching strangers, only to have it mysteriously backfire on him and cover him (and his new clothes) in rather flamboyant glitter!

To be honest, Naruto was starting to freak out again. The worse part about the situation was the simple fact that they weren't moving against him. If they were like the bullies who'd almost beat him to death, he could deal with that sort of situation. Heck, he was pretty good at dodging and evading pursuers whenever he wasn't pranking or goofing off. Just standing by and waiting, knowing you were being watched, however, did not remotely fall within his tried and tested skills.

He couldn't exactly confront them, either. He'd tried that once, in a vain attempt at getting people to notice the weirdos stalking him. He'd waited until he was sure one of them was tailing him and then turned out grandiosely, arm extended and index finger pointed accusingly, only to find no one standing there behind him. Other than a squeak coming from a nearby shop, he couldn't even tell that anything was out of the ordinary. The townspeople who saw his extravagant gesture, however, just stared at him in either confusion, disgust, or a combination of both.

Unfortunately, he'd tried to reason with the Hokage once about the strangers, but the old man's sceptical look had told him his complaint wouldn't be taken much too seriously. Naruto didn't blame the man, considering he had zero proof of having stalkers (other than a certain, shy Hyuuga heiress, but he didn't know about that).

Little did he know, however, that the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, _did_ in fact take the complaint seriously — he could scarcely risk not to. Anything that might mean endangering the life of Minato and Kushina's only son and the living Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune had to be investigated in full.

Unfortunately, despite the old man's attempts and his deployment of ANBU forces to scour the village for any suspicious characters, the investigation had proven fruitless. Even the visitors' log at the front gates showed no evidence of suspicious characters, and the Sensor Division hadn't notified him of illegal entries into Konoha via the walls, which were within the many wards erected to control illegal traffic.

He'd even had Ibiki and Anko look into any possible breaches in security, but so far had come up dry.

Which meant either Naruto was making up stories to get attention, or someone was capable of eluding even his best forces and infiltrate the village without his knowledge. Even scrying with his crystal ball had failed to turn up any viable suspects.

Unfortunately, while his advisors and many ninja wouldn't be above accusing Naruto of lying for attention, Hiruzen believed otherwise. The boy was a troublemaker, there was no denying that, but he wasn't a liar. In fact, Hiruzen suspected there was little else the boy hated more than liars. Too many close calls that had nearly ended up getting him killed at the hands of two-faced civilians had seen to that.

The problem with the natural conclusion, then, was that it meant that his village had been infiltrated under his watch and _no one_ could find any trace of these infiltrators. For all Hiruzen knew, they had come in to kidnap the Jinchuuriki and perhaps even set up explosives in a coordinated terror strike aimed at weakening Konoha!

While the Sandaime debated these possibilities, however, Naruto felt even more panicked as he realized that nothing was being done about these watchers of his. No matter where he went, he could feel their gaze on him, and it was driving him crazy. Even at the Academy, which was insanely close to the Hokage Mansion to even consider spying on, he felt watched. Once, he glanced out of a window seemingly at random, and had spotted two figures standing underneath the tree with the swing, and he could feel their piercing stare aimed right at him.

What the hell was going on?!

* * *

><p>While Naruto and the Sandaime were on the verge of panic attacks, however, the shinobi clansmen of the Uzumaki Clan were hard at work gathering intel on the boy they had been informed could be the next Clan Head. Not just a regent figure, but a <em>bona fide<em> Clan Head, descended from the very same Clan Head who'd stood side by side with Senju Hashirama, the Shodai Hokage and husband of Lady Mito himself.

Lifting the ban on underage travel, Keisuke sent a whole platoon of the rising stars of the Uzumaki Clan to infiltrate Konoha and investigate the young boy. Led by Raiden, whom Keisuke trusted to keep a calm mind, despite his aggressive tendencies, the team broke through the sensor wards of Konohagakure as though it were mere child's play. Then again, with Maki and Eiji amongst them, it really had been, as the two proficient fūinjutsu specialists had torn open a hole in record time as they tag-teamed the wards. It helped a lot that much of Konoha's wards shared the same basic setup as the ones that had been used in Uzushiogakure. Having the same basic blueprints meant that reverse engineering a way through had been pretty simple.

After that, it was a matter of hiding in plain sight, which the clan had long since excelled at, thanks to years of being on the run from _very_ powerful enemies. Daisuke, Takeshi the Third Dragon, Yuki, Amaya, Nobuko, and Moriko all changed into civilian clothing and kept to well shadowed areas, keeping themselves as inconspicuous as possible. Meanwhile, Raiden and Akemi investigated the young boy's residence, address courtesy of Hikari. Eiji and Maki, for their part, merely kept the team's chakra signatures on the down low with their Sealing Techniques. As far as any watchful eye could tell, they were just another group of travelers.

"What a dump," Raiden commented dispassionately as he glanced about the apartment that comprised the boy's living space. He idly kicked an empty instant ramen container that was sitting on the floor. "We sure this kid's the real thing?"

"Eiji and Maki seem to think so," Akemi pointed out as she carefully rummaged through the boy's drawers, gloves tightly fastened so as to avoid leaving behind any forensic evidence. "And if Keisuke-choro believes them, so do I."

"That geezer's always too quick to trust," Raiden commented as he went through the boy's fridge. Picking up a carton of milk, he took a whiff before sneering in disgust. "Expired. For a long time from the smell of things," he added as he put the carton back in its place. "Seriously, how is this kid not dead from food poisoning?"

"When you live in the streets long enough, you adapt to rough conditions, I imagine," Akemi answered from within the boy's bedroom. "Doesn't look like he's got any mementos of family or relatives."

"Not surprising, considering where he lives," Raiden pointed out. "No parent worth his salt would let their kid live in this hole if they had a say in it. Much less eat barely edible poison," he added, eyeing the stack of dirty dishes in the sink. "Can't say much about his hygiene, either."

"I think Hikari-chan's right," Akemi said as she came out to the tiny living room. "This boy's an orphan by the looks of things, and survives entirely on his own," she concluded. "There's not a shred of filial effects in this place, and it doesn't look like anyone's so much as picked up a brush to tidy up."

Raiden clicked his tongue. "I'd feel pissed at the fact that this kid could be our boss, but this is just depressing," he commented. "Even the furniture here's shot to shit. Makes you wonder what kind of hell he's had to live through."

"Hmm..." Akemi hummed in agreement before eyeing the sole window the apartment had — the one in the boy's room. "Eiji-kun, something to report?" she asked.

Outside the window, standing on the ledge, the redheaded, taciturn Uzumaki clansman grunted in affirmation. "Daisuke says the boy's on his way back," he reported shortly. "We've got five minutes to evacuate the premises."

Raiden clicked his tongue again. "Tch...What's that big lug doing? He's supposed to keep the brat away for another fifteen minutes!"

"Daisuke's doing what he can, Raiden-kun," Akemi chastised her colleague before looking around. "Anyway, I don't think we'll gather much more information at the moment. Better to leave now."

Raiden merely grunted in agreement, and with the sound of a breeze blowing, the two were gone.

* * *

><p>"It's worse than we thought," Nobuko reported to the group as they gathered in what seemed to be a really wild forest. So far, their Fuin traps had managed to kill a dozen deadly snakes, five massive slugs, and what seemed to be a gargantuan earthworm. Suffice to say, even Maki and Eiji had been surprised that their traps were given such a workout.<p>

"That boy's not just orphaned, he's being deliberately shunned," Nobuko continued gravely. "I can think of at least fifteen different occasions where he was turned away from some shop or stand for the dumbest of reasons."

"I can vouch for that report," Moriko weighed in. "He doesn't seem particularly welcome anywhere he goes, except for two places: the Hokage Mansion and this little ramen stand near the main street."

"Ichiraku's Ramen," Daisuke supplied. "Not bad, though their meals aren't nearly balanced enough to keep a real man healthy."

"Speak for yourself," grunted Takeshi. "It's delicious stuff."

Just as Daisuke was about to snap back, Raiden let off a spark of electricity between his index and middle finger as a warning. "Enough," he chastised them with a glare that brooked no protest. "What else?"

"He seems to live off a very poor diet, mainly composed of cheap foodstuffs," Akemi answered, supplying the team with the information she and Raiden had acquired at the apartment. "If this is _all_ he's been eating for the past few years, then I wouldn't be surprised if he suffered from some severe growth impediments, as well as a damaged metabolism."

"He's short enough, that's for sure," Yuki noted from his perch atop a tree branch. Inexplicably, his pants seemed to be missing, though he seemed wholly ignorant of this fact. "He's the shortest in his class."

"Yuki...where are your pants?" asked a sweatdropping Nobuko.

"MOTHERF—!"

"Which wasn't nice at all, either," Amaya said with a pout as she recalled her observations throughout the week, ignoring Yuki's clothes' disappearing act and his subsequent freakout. "Most of the kids seem content to either ignore him or bully him," she recounted. "And the girls are even worse — most of them just disparage him at every opportunity."

"Well, except for one," Yuki cut in, having retrieved his discarded pants. "But then, I'm not sure what to make of her."

"She's probably hiding from him," Amaya said with a dismissive wave. "You saw her, she couldn't get two words out while near him, and every time he looked at her, she'd blush and run away!"

"She could have a crush."

"His love life aside," Raiden once again interrupted, feeling irritable by all the tangential observations being made. "What's the conclusion we can draw on the boy? Is he Uzumaki or not?"

There was a moment of silence amongst the group as they pondered on that question. They all knew how much was riding on this, as Keisuke had told them in no uncertain terms that the results they produced would directly impact his decision as to whether approach Konoha or not.

"I can only really talk about what Eiji-kun and I found, but our seals were clear: he's got Uzumaki blood in him," Maki ventured with a raised hand and a nervous smile. Raiden always intimidated the crap out of her. "And not distant relation kind of blood — he's a genuine first-degree descendant of an Uzumaki clansman."

Eiji nodded in agreement at her assessment, eyeing Raiden for any signs of approval or denial. Unfortunately, he got neither, as the team leader's expression was blank.

"He's tough," Nobuko admitted. "Not many people can take that much deliberate ostracizing without snapping, but this kid acts like he hasn't got a care in the world," she added. "He's craving for attention, sure, but at least he's constructive about it."

"I agree," Moriko weighed in as she raised up her glasses with her index finger. "In addition, I get the feeling he's important to someone important, though not enough for his benefactor to be open about his support," she noted.

"Explain," Raiden ordered testily.

"He's been living off cheap foods and lives in his own apartment, yeah?" Moriko asked for confirmation from Akemi, who nodded. "Then where's he getting the money to buy them?" she asked rhetorically. "He hasn't got a job, no one will even turn to look at him on the streets except for that ramen stall guy and his daughter, so where's he getting his funds?"

It occurred to the others that no one had sought to look into that question. "Good point," Raiden conceded, eliciting a blush from the younger girl. "So someone's paying the brat's bills. He's tough," he added, nodding in acknowledgement at Nobuko, "and he's a survivor capable of eating near-poisonous foods. Unfortunately, other than Eiji and Maki's fūinjutsu, that doesn't tell us shit for dick as to whether he's one of us or not."

"Language!" Akemi mumbled at him, lightly smacking his shoulder, which he duly ignored.

"Except for his name," Takeshi pointed out as he crossed his arms, looking at his clansmen gravely. "Everywhere I go, it's the same thing being said about the boy: they call him the Uzumaki brat."

"Anyone can take a family name as their own, especially an orphan," Raiden pointed out. "And Akemi and I found no trace of family belongings at his home. Even if he was an orphan, there should've been _something_ to prove where he'd come from, especially if he's capable of affording the rent on an apartment!"

"Either way, it's a good enough lead, no?" Takeshi countered. "We've got a name: Uzumaki Naruto. We've got Maki and fanboy's techniques confirming that identity," he added, eliciting a scowl from Eiji. "I say we go back to the old man and tell him what we've got. We're not bound to get much more."

Raiden watched as the rest of the team exchanged glances and slowly nodded at the suggestion before doing so himself. "Agreed," he confirmed. "Eiji, Maki, deal with the sensor wards. We leave in ten."

"Hai!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: Still no guesses on what show the Uzumaki members were migrated from? <em>**

**_EDIT: Yes, it's Fairy Tail._**

_**Also, hope the Keisuke-Hikari interaction clears things up regarding how no one's been hunting for the Uzumaki, or why the Sandaime hasn't known about them. There's no great conspiracy there - the Uzumaki are just that good at hiding themselves with their techniques.**_

_**December 13, 2013 Update: Chapter has been revised.**_

**Glossary:**

**Choro - Elder  
>-sama - LordSir...suffix denoting great respect  
>Kai - Release (used to end Genjutsurelease seals)  
>Ossu - Heya!<br>Oji-chan - Uncle  
>Oba-san - Auntie<br>Itoko - Cousin  
>Jii-chan - Gramps<br>-nii - Bro/Older bro (affectionate suffix used towards slightly older males; derived from "Onii-san" [Big Brother])  
>-nee - SisOlder sis (affectionate suffix used towards slightly older females; derived from "Onee-san" [Older Sister]) **


	3. Lost Clan Arc: The Forbidden Scroll

**_AN: I admit, I'm a little surprised. This story has received quite the positive feedback, even though it's my first foray into anime fanfiction. That said, a couple of things have come up in reviews that need to be addressed:_**

**_1. The Uzumaki will not be snatching and running with Naruto. I know many of you would love to see a story where the Uzumaki rebuild Uzushio outside of Konoha influence, but that's just not feasible in this story. First off, they're not even a cohesive, united group. Secondly, they're not wealthy enough to rebuild a village on their own. Third, no one is suicidal enough to allow the most feared clan of the Second Shinobi World War to set up shop in their country when it means three of the five villages will probably invade out of spite. Fourth, Naruto is Konoha's breathing WMD; there's no way they'll be able to take him and hide without Konoha setting up a continent-wide manhunt._**

**_2. Still not a harem story. Don't even know what the pairings will be._**

**_3. The Uzumaki are not all-powerful. Some of their members, yes, are nearly at Kakashi's level, at it, or above it, but these members make up less than 1% of the clan's total membership. Keisuke himself could be considered at around the Sandaime's current strength (age erosion included)._**

**_4. Names will be provided at the bottom of each chapter to remind you all of who's who in the Uzumaki Clan._**

**_With that said, happy reading!_**

**_-MB_**

* * *

><p>"I see," mused Keisuke as he listened to the team's report. "This is troubling indeed."<p>

"I don't see why," groused Natsu, sitting amongst the clansmen, a little ticked that he'd been left behind. For good reason, too, considering he had the subtlety of an electric-powered jackhammer in a crystal glass shop. "He's one of us, right? Let's just grab him!"

THWACK. Within a moment, Natsu was on the floor as Keisuke retracted his hand from having chopped him on the head. "Quiet, you," he chastised as he pondered things through, idly blowing out smoke from his pipe. "The evidence is still circumstantial...but I agree it merits perhaps a more direct approach," he judged.

"With respect, Choro-sama," spoke up one of the adult clansmen. "Would it perhaps not simply be wiser to proceed as Natsu suggested? We don't know how Konoha might receive us after all this time, nor does it seem that they respect our name anymore, judging by the child's treatment."

It was a valid concern, and one that, as Keisuke regarded the gathered clansmen, had many supporters. Whatever the boy's parental circumstances were, there was really no reason to go about disrespecting a clan that had for so many years stood by Konoha through thick and thin, leading right up to its own destruction.

"I agree with the moron," Takeshi grunted, ignoring Natsu's yell of indignation. "The brat's been treated practically like an animal. Other that his mysterious sugar daddy and that ramen chef and his daughter...and maybe his teacher, I can't really name anyone else who's got his back, even among his age group."

Takeshi's opinion started a wave of discussion throughout the crowded room as every member of the Clan, from the age of fourteen and up, discussed the team's findings, after having been briefed by Keisuke. The Elder, for his part, watched quietly as small debate clusters formed, with some opinions threatening to get quite heated.

For his own part, Keisuke had a theory to perhaps explain the boy's treatment, though it hardly justified it. Cross-referencing what he knew of Kushina's voyage to Konoha with the fact that this lost clansman was most likely her son, there was only really one logical explanation.

"Enough," he declared, raising a hand. Almost immediately, the room quieted. "I understand your concerns, but I may know why he has been treated so badly," he announced.

"Not many of you may know, but before Lady Mito married the Shodai Hokage, she was dragged into a fight between the original founders of Konoha, Hashirama-sama and Uchiha Madara," he informed them, and was quite pleased to see the various scowls of disgust at the Uchiha name. The Uzumaki had long held a history of animosity against that clan in particular, greatly disliking the Sharingan's infamous ability to copy techniques. For a Clan of Fūinjutsu specialists, nothing was more abhorrent than plagiarism.

"Everyone knows the story of the Valley of the End, Jiji!" Natsu groaned. "Get to the good part!"

THWACK! Another chop to the head quieted the boy, causing the room to sweatdrop as they watched the irritated elder retract his hand once more.

"What those of you who _haven't_ reached Third Grade in _f_ū_injutsu_ all don't know is that the Shodai didn't just defeat the Kyuubi when Madara summoned it, but sealed it away using our techniques," he continued as if he hadn't just inflicted bodily harm on a clansman, a small grin forming. "Into Lady Mito."

Dropping that bomb had its desired effect, as nearly everyone in the room that hadn't chosen to become an expert in _f_ū_in_ techniques looked gobsmacked. Though the Shodai's access to Uzumaki sealing techniques wasn't all that surprising, considering he was Mito's lover, the fact that their honoured ancestor had been a Jinchuuriki _was_. Such an act, for obvious reasons, would've been kept buried. However, for a clan of Fūin specialists, most were beating themselves over the head for somehow having overlooked such an application of their techniques to explain the sudden disappearance of the Nine Tailed Fox.

"And that's not all, another certain member of our clan was chosen to succeed Lady Mito once her life neared its end," he added, enjoying the growing looks of stupefaction amongst his clansmen. It wasn't every day he could get so much of a rise out of them.

"Lady Kushina..." Akemi breathed, eyes wide and her hands up covering her open mouth. Keisuke eyed her for a moment, somewhat appreciative that she would play along, despite knowing already.

Keisuke nodded, causing another wave of whispers to explode. Raising a hand to silence the crowd, he continued. "Due to her special — even amongst our own — chakra, and her ability to create Chakra Chains, it was decided by her father, our Clan Head, to seal the Kyuubi into Kushina once Lady Mito's life neared its end." he tapped his pipe onto the tatami and cleared it of blockage before taking another drag. "We were successful, and she left Uzushiogakure to be Konoha's Second Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi."

"...much as I'm _loving_ the history lesson, gramps, " Raiden grouched, having known all of this already. "What's that got to do with anything?"

A tick mark developed on Keisuke's forehead at the rude interruption. Unlike with Natsu, however, he didn't raise a hand against his grandson. Not out of favoritism, really, but just because Raiden wouldn't shut up even if he did. "I was getting to that," he grouched. "Honestly, I'm old! I like to take my time with things!"

Cue mass sweatdrops.

Coughing slightly, Keisuke glanced both ways shiftily before continuing. "Anyway...where was I? Oh, right! Kushina became the second jinchuuriki, she died, we got screwed over," he summed up, causing more sweatdropping. Nonetheless, he began to grin mischievously "But here's a question I have for all of you — if she died, and we know she did, where did the Kyuubi go?"

Silence.

Keisuke enjoyed the way they stared at him, having honestly not given thought to the most fearsome of the Bijuu's disappearance thirteen years ago.

"I admit, I hadn't thought of it myself until now. Like most of you, I suppose I took it for granted that perhaps Kushina had sealed the Kyuubi inside her when she died, taking it down with her," Keisuke conceded. "Yet it begs the question, doesn't it? Bijuu can't be killed; we seal masters know that," he saw the appropriate section of his clansmen nodded at that. "Even if it had, let's call it, 'died,' it would have regenerated at some point. And the only way to keep beasts of that level out of trouble longer than that is to seal them away. But not every object can hold a Bijuu...especially not the Kyuubi. So, naturally, we must conclude that it was sealed into someone else."

He paused again to enjoy another drag of his pipe. "So who was it?" he asked calmly.

Again, silence reigned in the room until Hikari shakingly got to her feet, looking stunned. "That boy..._he's the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi?!_"

"Makes sense, don't it?" Keisuke said with a knowing smile, even as the room exploded into shouts of surprise and negations. "We know the Yondaime was the one to defeat the Kyuubi — Konoha's been bragging about it for years," cue a few grumbles of agreement. Over the years, they'd come across many a Konoha ninja gloating about the victory of the Yondaime over the fearsome Kyuubi. "And now know that, like Hashirama-sama and Mito-sama, he had access to our seals through Kushina. It's only logical that he used them to seal the Kyuubi into a child, the best possible host for such a beast. This is why Konoha will never just let him leave the village — he's far too important a strategic asset for them to let him walk away."

Demonstrating why he was the one in charge of the Uzumaki exiles, Keisuke watched as his logic brought them all around to his side.

"That having been said, Konoha might not have honored our sacrifice, but we honor our loyalty to family," Keisuke reminded them, causing more than a few to straighten their spines. "And the Senju were family. That boy, charged with Lady Kushina's burden, is family. We are Uzushiogakure's Uzumaki Clan, which means we stand for each other, or else...?" he prompted.

"We all go down as one!" he heard his audience voice the time-honoured answering call that served as the clan's motto.

Keisuke smiled in self-satisfaction, pipe in mouth, and nodded as he crossed his arms over his diminutive chest. "Damn right. Now let's go get us a lost clansman."

* * *

><p>Naruto was having a bad day.<p>

No, that word wasn't quite enough to describe the feelings he held for today. In fact, if he had to describe how he felt, he would've said a mixture of rage, impotence, sadness, and resignation.

What had happened to cause such a shift in the boy's state of being, you ask?

The graduation exam.

For the third time, _third time_, he'd failed the damn exam — and always on the very same part: the bunshin. Naruto couldn't fathom why, but he'd _never_ been able to produce a decent bunshin in his life, even when he trained at home or at the training grounds. No matter what he did, he'd never pulled it off, and a large part of him felt it was patently unfair that one of the required qualifications for graduating was the ability to pull it off. After all, he'd never needed it to escape his pursuers before, so why was it so critical for him to learn it?

Unfortunately, he knew Iruka would never let him pass without knowing it, no matter how much he protested.

Sighing despondently, he watched as parents came to pick up their kids, congratulating those who had passed — those being all but him. Even Choji and Shikamaru's parents had come by and gushed over their kids. Kiba's mom had given him a small love tap on the head before giving him a congratulatory noogie.

He winced slightly as he watched a few glare his way and start muttering, knowing full well they were once again disparaging him. A few mean ones even spoke aloud about how great it was that he'd failed.

Naruto felt a twinge of something dark rise up in him as he heard them ridicule him, but he ruthlessly squashed it down. He wouldn't give them the pleasure of seeing him break down!

No matter how tempting the thought of doing so was.

He was just about to leave, however, when he saw Mizuki, Iruka's co-teacher, come up to him with a smile and a wave. Naruto liked Mizuki — unlike Iruka, he seemed happy to lend a hand.

"Sucks about your exam, Naruto," the kind teacher said with a commiserating smile. "You know, I did try to convince Iruka to give you another chance, but you know how he is."

Naruto looked down sadly. "Yeah...man...he's so uptight! Why can't he give me another shot?!" he demanded a little angrily, but also sad that the man who regularly treated him to ramen couldn't even understand that he was asking the impossible of him.

"I think he's tough on you because he sees a little of himself in you, you know," Mizuki comforted the boy, making Naruto look up in surprise. "After all, he wasn't exactly the model teacher he is now back when he was your age. Heck, I think he would've given you a run for your money!"

"No way!" Naruto breathed with growing wonderment. Straight-laced Iruka? A hellion like him? Inconceivable!

"Way," Mizuki confirmed with a smile. "You know, he's an orphan too...when he was younger, pranks were the way he had others pay attention to him. So don't be too hard on him, alright? He's probably trying to set you on the right path."

Naruto looked down, absorbing this new facet of his straight-laced teacher. "Still..." he mumbled, downtrodden. "It would've been awesome if I could've graduated..."

Mizuki fell silent and gave Naruto a careful look. "You know...if you really want to impress him...I may know of a way..."

* * *

><p>Hikari swore as she jumped from roof to roof, having just returned to Konoha only to find bad news awaiting her.<p>

Apparently, the young boy she'd saved from getting killed was being accused of stealing a rather important village relic, and from what she could hear, there were quite a few voicing their desire to kill him.

Naturally, this was unacceptable to her on both a personal level and as a result of her orders form Keisuke.

However much the Uzumaki elder wanted to move forward with claiming the boy, he first needed to consult with the other cell Elders, a move which could take some time. Despite this, knowing that the boy had it rough in Konoha, he'd ordered a forward team assembled to watch over the potentially lost kinsman while the necessary red tape was cleared.

Hikari was one such member.

Raiden, however, was not, and that had caused a few problems. The First Dragon had been enlisted into watching over Keisuke along with Kimiko, just in case it ever leaked that the four remaining Elders of the Uzumaki clan were meeting in the same place. She shuddered to think what ninjas from Kumo, Kiri, or Iwa would do in order to capture the Elders, if that ever happened.

Unfortunately, with Kimiko and Raiden away on other business, and Akemi forced to stay back to handle Clan business while Hiroki was away as well, that left very little in terms of adequate field leadership. Eiji had been a potential choice, but everyone just as quickly dismissed him after realizing the teen was an expert seal master, but not exactly a field leader. Natsu was also right out, despite his status as Second Dragon. If he was ever given a leadership position in anything, odds were his short temper would get their covers blown. Takeshi was also excluded from consideration for the same reason.

In the end, by process of elimination, Hikari had been assigned with the role of field leader, while the remaining field-worthy Uzumaki clansmen fell into line behind her. As it was, she'd picked Amaya, Yuki, Takeshi, Sora, Natsu, and Maki as back-up, feeling that having the three remaining Dragons in her team would buff up the otherwise green team.

"Something feels wrong about this situation," Yuki observed as he landed deftly beside Hikari while she took note of her bearings. "Our observations didn't suggest a thieving streak in the boy."

Landing behind the two, Amaya nodded. "It's too out of character," she confirmed.

"Doesn't matter," Hikari said as the rest of the team landed on the rooftop. "Whatever our conclusions are about this, the people of this village seem to distrust him enough to believe him capable of high treason. We need to get to him first before they kill him out of spite," she said firmly.

"Y-You don't think they'd really k-kill a child, do you?" Sora asked wide-eyed.

Takeshi clicked his tongue irritably. "If he's Jinchuuriki like the geezer thinks, then I wouldn't put it past them," he said, somewhat annoyed. Isolated or not, the Uzumaki had seen and heard of numerous cases where Jinchūriki had been mistreated.

"Maki," Hikari spoke up, choosing not to answer Sora's question, even though she was thinking along the same lines as Takeshi; though she needn't say anything else as the seal master preempted her by kneeling on the rooftop slamming her hand on the concrete.

"Already on it," the redhead said with a grim look as she raised her free hand in a half-Ram seal. "_Fūin!_" she intoned, causing a spiral of black characters to spread out from underneath her palm. "_Tsuiseki Fūin!_"

Before the seal master's eyes, the spiralling characters coalesced into a circle, which then began to hold glowing dots within its circumference. By the looks of it, there were quite a few, but only one glowed green — their target. Thankfully, she'd remembered to bring along a sample of their lost kinsman's DNA from when they'd run tests on the jumpsuit.

"He's about a klick north-east...that way!" she concluded, pointing towards what seemed to be the east entrance. "There's maybe a good three dozen other contacts heading that way, and two of them are nearing the boy!"

Hikari clicked her tongue in irritation. "We'll never make it before those two, but we can stall the others, at least," she judged, eyeing her group, who stood ready to receive orders. "There's nothing for it. Amaya, Yuki — you two take half of the incoming ninja. Takeshi, Natsu — you two take the other half. _Only_ stall; we don't need the trouble a couple of body-bags will bring us," she told her kinsmen firmly, knowing they were prone to letting themselves go in a fight. She then turned to the remaining two girls. "Maki, Sora, on me. We're going to save that boy. Sora, get ready to heal him if necessary."

"Hai!" the group acknowledged their orders and split up. Relieved that there'd been no challenge to her authority — though she guessed the urgency of the situation had something to do with that — she led her group towards the east gate, knowing that they'd really have to haul ass if they were to reach the boy as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, though she had much faith in her kin's ability to hold back the angry ninja, she also couldn't risk overlooking the possibility of their failure. "Maki," she spoke up as they landed near the gate, taking a brief second to look over the imposing wooden doors. "Seal this gate," she ordered.

"Taichō?" questioned Maki, surprised.

"Natsu and the others are strong, but we can't overlook the possibility that a few might get by them," Hikari explained. "Seal it. Don't let a single person get through."

Maki nodded firmly. "Understood," she agreed before flipping through a rather impressive amount of hand seals. "We'll want to be on the other side once the seal is up," she pointed out as she continued to flip through hand seals. Without further ado, the trio jumped past the gates, with Hikari glancing back just in time for Maki to twist around mid-landing and slam both hands on the ground.

"_Fūin!_" she called out, causing the ground to suddenly spurt hundreds, if not thousands of ink-black characters, all erupting from underneath her palms in a massive, swirling fashion. "_Hyakuju Rashomon Fūin!_" she roared as she brought up her hands, pointed them — palms up, fingers clawed — at the open gate, and then brought her hands together in front of her in a clap.

As though by magic, the gates groaned as they were forced to close with a speed they were unused to, slamming shut before their eyes. This wasn't the end of Maki's technique, however, as the two great spirals made of characters before her shot a single line of the ink-black characters at the gates, then raced across its frame until they formed a large X-shape.

Maki was breathing hard when the technique finished, which was announced when the cross shape glowed green. "That...ought to keep them at bay for a while," she said, swallowing loudly. "They can still go over the walls, though. I can't do anything about that. Not without Eiji-kun," she pointed out, landing heavily on her rear and holding herself up just barely. To be honest, had she done the sealing with her partner, she wouldn't have been this exhausted. Performing such a high level sealing by herself, however, was incredibly draining.

"It'll do," Hikari said seriously, noting her cousin's haggard condition. "Get out of sight and rest up, Maki," she ordered. "Sora and I'll finish the mission."

Nodding tiredly, unable to gather enough strength or willpower to answer, Maki slowly complied with her orders by all but dragging herself into the nearby foliage, certain no one would really find her, given her low enough chakra levels.

Hikari, meanwhile, looked down at Sora. "We're already behind schedule," she told the younger girl. "We'll need to kick it up a notch. Can you handle that?"

The fourteen year old girl nodded firmly. "I'll be fine, Hikari-nee-chan!" she vowed.

Nodding in satisfaction, Hikari put the pace on the last leg of the chase by jumping for the furthest most tree she could feasibly reach, almost vaporizing the branch she landed on with the amount of chakra she'd put into her feet. To the Fourth Dragon's credit, she landed on a branch just opposite of Hikari's, and didn't seem too shaken by the fast pace she was being put through.

Hikari smiled. Maybe they'd be able to get there on time after all.

* * *

><p>Remember when Naruto said he'd been having a bad day?<p>

He took that back.

Today _sucked_.

Mizuki — that treacherous, backstabbing _asshole_ — had played him. No, not just played him, but _used_ him.

As instructed, he'd taken the Forbidden Scroll from the Hokage Mansion, even going as far as using his patented _Oiroke no Jutsu_™ against the old man himself. While that had been amusing, to say the least, he'd been surprised at how easy it was to get the scroll, considering it was supposed to be a priceless relic. Why hadn't there been more security measures?

At the time, Naruto had brushed such concerns off — or rather, completely overlooked them. Figuring this was proof enough that this was a legitimate make-up test for those having failed the graduation exam, he'd taken the large scroll and scampered off. To be honest, he'd felt like he'd gotten away scot-free, but apparently someone had tipped the village off.

Only now did Naruto realize it had been Mizuki's plan all along.

As instructed, he'd taken the oversized scroll (seriously, was someone overcompensating or something?) to a clearing outside the village walls (odd, but who was he to question a teacher?), where he'd sat waiting for Mizuki for exactly 1.5 seconds before his ADD kicked in.

Figuring he had nothing better to do — and hey, forbidden scroll of _awesome_ sitting next to him! — he'd opened the monument to ninja overcompensation and started reading through it, only to find a couple of boring-as-hell seals, a few techniques that sounded _lame_, and then he'd hit the jackpot.

The _Kage Bunshin_.

Seeing the name of his most vile and repudiated of enemies (Bunshin), Naruto felt his stubborn competitive streak activate in full force as he vowed to get this technique down, fist shaking in the air and all. He'd show everyone! No technique would get the better of him!

Of course, Naruto was so obsessed with beating his eternal foe that he'd overlooked the fact that he was _not_, in fact, attempting a Bunshin, but a _**Kage**__ Bunshin_. Thus, when he celebrated getting the technique down, after surprisingly little tries, he'd thought he'd mastered the Academy Bunshin.

It wasn't long after, however, that he'd been made aware of how played he'd been.

Iruka, the ever dependable goody two-shoes, had arrived first, surprising Naruto. Grinning like the idiot he was, he'd rubbed the back of his head and asked Iruka if he'd passed the make-up test, only for the teacher to look at him as though he were mentally unstable. It was only after mentioning Mizuki that Iruka finally put the pieces together, and just as Iruka was about to give an exposé about how Mizuki was a traitor, said backstabbing wonder arrived, pinning Iruka to a nearby shed with kunai, and offered to tell Naruto why everyone hated him.

And hey, between a lecture from Iruka or juicy secrets regarding why his life was a living hell, Naruto's choice was a no-brainer.

Of course, he'd never expected to hear that he was the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Which was odd, really, since he'd never really felt like a fox. Nor did he especially like rare meat. Did foxes even eat ramen?

In fact, how did a demon of that size become so tiny? Shouldn't he have been much more powerful from the get-go? Moreover, if he _was_ a giant walking disaster of nature dedicated to the destruction of all living things, then was it really wise for them to antagonize him?

Naruto didn't voice all of these concerns, but it did strike him as extremely lazy reasoning.

Either way, Mizuki had come in, given his rather — in Naruto's opinion — cliché speech about how everyone hated him, even Iruka, and how he'd never be loved.

Okay, so maybe it _was_ cliché, but it still hurt hearing it. In Iruka's defense, however, the man was busy shielding the Forbidden Scroll — or so Naruto thought — from Mizuki.

"Naruto, run!" his teacher shouted urgently at him, just as Mizuki made his move and threw the massive Fuma Shuriken he'd been carrying around. With predictable results, as Naruto was still rooted to his spot, Iruka was forced to tackle Naruto to the ground, only to get his back nailed by the oversized shuriken.

"Gah!" grunted Iruka in pain as he felt the pointy implement of throwing pain lodge itself near to his spine. "Naruto...run...please..." he begged the child beneath him. "I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry for everything..." he apologized, tears streaming. "I...I also lost my parents to the Kyuubi...I grew up with no one, too...you...must've been in so much pain...so I wanted to be there for you like no one was there for me..."

Naruto was touched. Really, he was. He'd never heard anyone say anything like that to him before, or even looked at him with eyes that reflected nothing but caring and honesty. Even so, this was all too much for the boy, and he quickly scampered off with the scroll, needing some time alone to process things.

"HA!" gloated Mizuki as he watched his prey run away. "See, Iruka?" he continued with a smirk. "That brat's never going to forgive anyone! He's the Kyuubi! I think I'll go do the village a favour and kill him now, since you won't be any trouble anymore."

Iruka watched helplessly as Mizuki jumped away, unable to follow. Slamming a fist onto the ground angrily, he cursed himself for his weakness before slowly collapsing as his wounds began to take their toll on him. Had the Fuma Shuriken landed a few millimetres away, he would've been fine, but as it was, he would probably pass out from blood loss within minutes without medical assistance.

In fact, his vision was just getting blurry, causing Iruka's thoughts turn to how he'd never thought he'd end his life this way.

"Oi, Sora, we got wounded down here!" he heard a girl's voice dimly shout at the edge of his consciousness. "Heal him while I go after the boy!"

"Ngh..." Iruka tried to speak, but feeling quite weak from his wounds. He wanted to protest, to tell his rescuers that Naruto wasn't the culprit, but the words failed him as the darkness started to claim him.

Meanwhile, Sora looked at her patient worriedly as her hands glowed green, healing chakra working feverishly to repair the many wounds. "Ayayaya...you've been hurt badly, Nii-chan," she mumbled as she worked.

"Ngh..." Iruka grunted painfully as he was forcefully kept from passing out from the pain.

"Calm down, everything's going to be fine, Nii-chan," she comforted him as the wound in his back began to slowly seal up. "Don't move and I'll be done in a jiffy!"

"Na...Naruto..." Iruka moaned in pain.

Sora's expression lit up at the name. "Is that his name?" she asked happily as she continued working. "Then Hikari-nee-chan will see to it that Naruto-sama is safe and sound!"

"...sama?" Iruka groaned, confused. He'd heard Naruto be referred to in various ways, ranging from child (the Hokage loved that particular form of address for his ersatz grandson figure) to monster (from the more idiotic members of the village). However, he'd _never_ once heard him be referred to as "sama." To Iruka, it was just inconceivable.

Sora smiled brightly at her charge, though Iruka could clearly see the glimmer of sorrow behind that smile. In a way, it reminded him of the way Naruto sometimes smiled.

"Naruto-sama is Naruto-sama," she said simply, not venturing more information. Iruka was now doubly surprised with the young girl. Not only was she rather young to be so skillfully using healing techniques, she also seemed well aware of the need to stay tight-lipped regarding information. Though he couldn't place her being much older than his students, he was surprised that she seemed leaps and bounds more skilled than any of them — including Sasuke, the genius of his generation.

An explosion sounded off a ways ahead, causing Iruka to flinch slightly and Sora to smile as she recognized the chakra signature. "Ah, Hikari-nee-chan seems to have everything under control. How about we finish up here so we can go meet up with them, nii-san?" she asked with a perky smile.

It was all Iruka could do to nod slowly.

* * *

><p>Hikari had no trouble finding the running duo.<p>

Naruto, as untrained as he was, was sadly leaving behind a rather obvious trail that made it easy for Mizuki and Hikari to track him. Mizuki, on the other hand, _was_ trained, but still left a decent trail for Hikari due to the fact that he doubted anyone would interfere before he killed the blonde brat.

Sadly for him, Hikari was in a rather foul mood given the circumstances, and so was in no mood to humour the traitor as he went about his homicidal objectives.

Jumping from tree to tree, she reflected on the situation at hand. Before leaving the Uzumaki compound/village, Keisuke had taken her aside to impress upon her the gravity of her mission — not that it wasn't plainly obvious as it was.

Still, his words that moment resonated within her even now.

* * *

><p><em>Keisuke, dressed in his traveling gear and partaking from his favourite pipe, frowned at Hikari seriously as he sat cross-legged before her on the tatami mat. "Tell me, Hikari-chan, do you know why it is that despite so many of us still living, our clan has not chosen a new leader since Lady Kushina's demise?" he asked her after blowing out some puffs of smoke.<em>

_Hikari frowned back, honestly not knowing the answer. Then again, she hadn't exactly asked herself that question before, due to the fact that most Uzumaki clansmen just accepted the current status quo. In such situations, short of actually desiring power, not many would question the way the group was being led. "I...no..." she admitted regretfully._

_Keisuke smirked as he held his pipe in one hand. "Nor do the others," he said, comforting the girl. "Yet, the answer is simple: none of us can become Clan Head."_

_Hikari blinked at that answer, feeling more confused than before. "I...don't understand. Couldn't you become Clan Head, Jiji?" she asked. Indeed, if Keisuke declared himself Clan Head, she doubted anyone in the group would protest. After all, everyone understood that the man who'd kept them safe all these years had been him._

_Keisuke gave a brief, true laugh at the question. There was no hint of mockery in it, either. "Oh, Kami, no!" he said, still chortling. "What a terrible idea! Me? Clan Head? I'd rather chew my foot off!"_

_Hikari sweatdropped at the Elder's rather...candid response._

"_Hikari-chan, Clan Heads of the Uzumaki aren't chosen due to skill or influence," he told her simply after he'd regained self-control. Taking a drag from his pipe, he let out a small stream of smoke. "Were it so, any arrogant brat could challenge the Head for his position. Hell, that idiot Natsu would be all over that, I imagine!" he added with a snort. Sadly, Hikari couldn't deny that, causing her to sweatdrop._

"_Clan Heads in our clan are chosen...differently," he said, though something about that response nudged at her curiosity. Was he perhaps keeping something to himself on that subject? That wasn't an unreasonable assumption, considering she was barely qualified to even lead this mission. "We don't choose the most powerful member of our clan, nor the most political, because they don't represent all of us," he explained._

"_A Clan Head must be strong, yes, but he must also be wise. He must be influential, but grounded. More importantly, he must unite the Clan behind him," he stated, nostalgic sadness oozing from his tone. "That is why no living elder of our clan or active member can become Clan Head — none of us can unite the Clan."_

_Hikari blinked again, a little unsettled by that claim. "But the clansmen here love you, Jiji!" she protested. "If you put your claim forward, we'd back you up in a heartbeat!"_

"_And what of the clansmen in the other cells?"_

_Hikari was brought up short by that question._

_Keisuke sighed as he blew some more smoke idly. "Hikari-chan, you're very kind is saying you'd all here back me up, but our clansmen here are but a fraction of the Clan," he reminded her. "Just as you see me as your leader, so do our kinsmen elsewhere see their Elders as the natural choice for leadership," he informed her before gazing out the window at the setting sun. "We do not try to take the position of Clan Head, then, to avoid bitter power struggles. I have already seen so many of my family die, Hikari-chan...I do not want to have to kill any of them for a title I do not even want."_

_She sat there, stunned by the elder's words. She, to her shame, admittedly had wondered why Keisuke had not simply laid claim to the title of Clan Head. She knew Raiden had also wondered, as he often complained while drunk that the old man should have the stones to seize what was naturally his._

_Looking at Keisuke now, however, Hikari could see every single year of his life reflect on his image. He didn't look weak, by any means, but he did look tired. So very tired, it seemed, by the way he slouched and gazed out at the red sun with eyes that seemed torn between the present and a distant, comforting past._

"_Why are you telling me this, Jiji?" she asked after giving him a moment to reminisce._

"_Because this boy, if he is who we think he is, could finally change things," Keisuke answered without breaking stride. "A bona fide descendant of the former Clan Head, born outside of our self-imposed divisions, could unite the cells and bring our family back together again," he added as he turned to face Hikari. "I am entrusting the fate of our family to you, Hikari-chan. See to it that nothing happens to the boy...whatever the cost."_

* * *

><p>She understood why Keisuke wanted the Clan Head lineage alive — with so few Uzumaki left, now was hardly the time to remain divided. Yet, without the division the Elders had imposed on the day of Lady Kushina's death, they would have easily been hunted down by their enemies, and the family wiped out. Still, as Keisuke had said, a new clan leader could change all that. If nothing else, he could be their way into a new village.<p>

At least, until the day came when they would reclaim Uzushiogakure.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that, for all its happy facade, the clan wasn't exactly doing well. Behind the smiles and parties, she knew that most of the clansmen were just going through the motions. She could tell just by listening in on Uncle Hiroki's stories about his youth, or that of Keisuke's. Even Aunt Nana reminisced from time to time, as did the other adults.

It pained her to see her clan hurting so much. Without Uzushiogakure — without the Clan Heads to give them direction — the Uzumaki had been slowly decaying. If something wasn't done soon, she knew it wouldn't survive and the Third Great Shinobi War would claim its last victims at long last.

"Enough running, demon!" she heard her future Clan Head's final pursuer shout further ahead. Glaring, the redhead picked up the pace, already thinking of which summons she would use to put the bastard in the ground.

Meanwhile, Naruto was backing up against a tree, the Forbidden Scroll kept close to his chest — literally — as he looked at Mizuki, somewhat terrified. Any other day? He would've charged blindly — he was good at that, after all. This time, however, he was clearly informed of how outmatched he was, having seen Iruka go down rather easily.

"That's right...give it up," Mizuki was leering at him dangerously and goading at him to give him the scroll. "Just hand it over, and I'll be sure to make it quick."

Now, Mizuki might not have been of jonin rank, but he was still a trained ninja of Konohagakure. Thus, when he felt the dangerous amounts of killing intent suddenly flare up right behind him, he instinctively tried to jump away from whatever it was, but quickly found himself restrained with one arm twisted behind his back and a kunai at his throat.

"Who's going to make _what_ quick?" hissed a low, female voice — his captor's no doubt. Mizuki started sweating nervously as he thought through every move in his arsenal, trying to figure out a way out of his current predicament.

Unfortunately, none came to mind.

Naruto, for his part, merely stared as some stranger, out of nowhere, appeared crouching behind Mizuki and just as quickly held the chunin teacher in a restraining hold. Her fiery red head of hair tugged at something within Naruto, but what really sold this woman to him was the fact that she was trying to take down the man who'd been trying to take _him_ down.

Still, he'd been burned once, and he wasn't about to let that happen again. Still backing away from the two ninjas, Naruto figured that a few more steps would give him an adequate line of sight for his next foray into escapism.

"Hold it," he heard the woman call out to him, still glaring at her prisoner as she kept the kunai primed against his throat. "Uzumaki Naruto?" she asked him plainly.

"Who wants to know?" he challenged right back, stopping despite his prior conviction to keep running. "Hell, who the hell are you?!"

"For once, a good question from that demon," Mizuki grumbled before wincing as the woman's kunai cut superficially into his neck. "Kami, woman! Back off! This is official Konoha business!" he bluffed.

Unfortunately, Hikari was well aware of his bluff, and called it. "If that's true, where's your backup, moron?" she pointed out with a glare. "Even if it was, though, you'd be shit out of luck, asshole. I'm here for the kid; Konoha can rot for all I care!"

Now Mizuki was well and truly panicking. He'd thought he'd been taken prisoner by some odd passerby, or maybe a Konoha ninja who'd been told by Iruka what had happened. The tone of the woman's voice, however, betrayed no lie — she would truly gut him where he stood if she wanted to — Konoha be damned.

Naruto, for his part, was getting sort of tired of being ignored. Thirteen years of neglect saw to it that his need for attention was primed for mischief and absolutely zero stealth skills. "Oi! Don't ignore me!" he yelled at the two, surprising Hikari by the volume of his shout.

Mizuki, however, was very used to Naruto's shouting, and like a trained ninja quickly rammed his head into Hikari's, wincing as the kunai cut just a little bit more of his throat — though only breaking skin. As she cursed, he jumped away from both Naruto and her, glaring at the two as he grabbed at his bleeding throat.

"Wrong move, bitch!" he roared as he proceeded to form a variety of hand seals. "_Bunshin no jutsu!_"

With a few dozen explosions of smoke, Mizuki vanished from their sight, only to suddenly reappear as the smoke cleared, but as a dozen Mizuki's.

Glaring at the new small horde of assholes to beat down on, Hikari jumped in front of Naruto and motioned for him to stay where he was. "Stay behind me," she ordered. "I'll protect you," she vowed fiercely.

Naruto gaped at the redheaded girl, unable to believe what he was hearing. He'd often read about such situations happening in the few books he owned, but he'd never thought he'd be on the receiving end of such a heroic gesture.

"Who are you?" he asked, awed.

"A good question," one of the Mizuki's sneered as he began twirling a kunai amongst his fingers. "After all, I'll need to identify your corpse when I deliver you both to the Hokage. I imagine I'll get a commendation for this," he mused out loud, seeming very pleased with himself.

Glaring, Hikari slid her back foot another inch as she readied her fists for some up-close fighting. "You've got it backwards, I think," she taunted him. "The only reason you'd get my name is so that you know who beat your ass into the ground!" she roared as she flew at the clones, knowing she'd only be able to deal any damage to the real Mizuki.

"A headlong assault?" sneered Mizuki, unconcerned. "How stupid."

Sure enough, Hikari flew right through the clone she'd aimed for, heading directly for a tree behind it. She wasn't a ninja for nothing, however, so despite Naruto's cry of alarm, she merely did a mid-air spin, landed her feet on the trunk, and stuck to it using her expert chakra manipulation, a savage grin already on her face as she raised her head to meet with the Mizuki's stares and placed her hands on the trunk right beneath her.

"Sorry, moron, but I forgot to mention — I'm not a Taijutsu specialist," she taunted, just as her hands glowed bright green. "_Kuchiyose!_" she cried out, causing Mizuki's eyes to widen in realization.

"Shit!" Mizuki swore as all the clones went for her, kunai raised and primed to kill her in order to mask his real self.

"Yamainu! Kerberos!" she called out, causing two puffs of smoke to explode on the ground near the tree. "I call on thee!"

Twin howls pierced the night sky as the two great wolves darted at the advancing clones, only to be momentarily confused as they passed right through them.

Even as the wolves gave confused grunts, looking around for their prey, Hikari sighed and smacked her face in exasperation, even as Mizuki and Naruto stared at the confused wolves. "They're bunshin, you idiots," she grumbled. As powerful attack wolves as they were, the two were pretty new at this whole ninja fight thing, and they hadn't yet learned to take the time to literally sniff out their opponents.

Fortunately, wolves had great hearing, so upon understanding their situation, the two attack-minded biological machines of death used the instincts their race was known for and began hunting the real Mizuki. Unfortunately, things didn't seem that simple, as the wolves continued to flounder about, unable to find the real one.

Frowning, Hikari pondered on what this could mean, when she heard a voice cry out.

"Nee-chan! Above you!"

Working on instinct, Hikari launched herself forward, rolling on the ground just as Mizuki slashed at her back. To her confusion, however, the blade he was wielding had done no damage, despite having been well within range.

It was only too late that she realized she'd been had. Unfortunately for Mizuki, Hikari wasn't quite that incompetent, and quickly dodged to the side, sliding to a halt just as Mizuki sprang out from the ground, an ugly sneer in place.

"Damn brat!" he snarled. It was all he managed to say, too, as Yamainu and Kerberos rushed him. Though Mizuki was able to evade the two wolves, Hikari was far from over, finally grabbing onto her massive scroll and unravelling it just a foot.

"_KAI!_" she yelled, causing Mizuki to widen his eyes as a torrent of kunai and shuriken rushed at him, quickly causing the ground he'd been standing on to look like a rain of metal had hit. Sidestepping smoothly out of the way of Mizuki's retaliatory throws, she unravelled the scroll a bit more as she laid it on the ground, quickly making a Tiger seal. "_KAI!_"

This time, Mizuki was unpleasantly surprised to find a two torrents of fire and water racing at him. Apparently, when the woman had told him she was a Kuchiyose specialist she hadn't been kidding. Who knew what else that damnable scroll of hers held?

And speaking of scrolls, every second he spent fighting the obviously quite strong girl meant he came closer to getting caught trying to steal the Forbidden Scroll. Of course, this whole caper would've been over by now if that damnable woman hadn't interfered with his little hunt of the demon brat.

Wait.

A heinous idea popped into Mizuki's head as he dodged another hail of sharp stabbing implements. All this time, he'd been trying to take on someone who was quite obviously better than him, when her weakness was all too obvious!

Timing it perfectly, he waited for the next summoned strike to hit him before bursting into smoke, suddenly replaced by a log. Hikari looked around suspiciously, considering that she was still quite surrounded by Mizuki's harmless Bunshin clones. Still, he'd shown considerable mastery of the clones, if he'd been able to control them to seemingly act independently — something she knew was incredibly difficult and a testament to the man's chakra control.

"Where is he?" she muttered to herself. He would never allow a man so determined to kill their future Clan Head to get away. Not on her watch!

"Oi, nee-san, where'd the bastard go?" called out Naruto then, causing her to pale as she realized what Mizuki had seconds ago.

"Naruto-sama!" she let the honorific slip out unconsciously, confusing the boy. "Jump!" she called out frantically as she raced towards him.

Despite his confusion, Naruto's self-preservation senses were attuned enough to understand that the girl was completely serious, and instinctively jumped forward towards Hikari just as the older teen jumped over him towards where Mizuki was apparently lunging to plunge a knife into Naruto's back.

Bringing up a kunai from below, she smiled grimly as she realized she'd evade his blow and finish him off with hers. Seconds seemed to pass like hours as she neared his heart, only for her grim sense of satisfaction to evaporate as she passed right through. A Bunshin clone.

"Oh, sh—" she started to swear, only for the ground beneath her to burst, revealing two hands that grabbed at her legs and pulled her into the ground. Reappearing in front of her, Mizuki sneered down at her, only for Yamainu and Kerberos to launch themselves at him. Unfortunately, this one, too, happened to be a Bunshin.

"Stupid dogs," he mocked them as the dog pile worked to extricate themselves from each other.

"They're wolves," Hikari growled as she looked up at the traitor, fully aware that she'd been played.

"Whatever," Mizuki brushed her words off. "A mutt's a mutt. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a demon to kill and a Scroll to steal," he said as he moved towards Naruto, who once again seemed of a mind to dart off.

"Don't run!" she called out to him. "He's aiming for that! The moment you do, he'll be on you!"

"Oh, don't listen to her," Mizuki said with a mock pout. "A little more of a chase would be fantastic. Plus, you know I'm not the real Mizuki. I know! Why don't we play a game?" he taunted with a sick grin.

Only to disappear and reappear behind him, a kunai at Naruto's neck. "Let's play 'find the real Mizuki.'" he offered darkly, just before a gush of blood erupted from Naruto's neck.

Yelping in pain, the blonde nonetheless managed to get away just before the kunai managed to cut deep enough to nick his carotid artery. Damn, now he was as wounded as that bastard was!

...Wait.

Wounded?

Naruto gazed at the Mizuki clones still littering the clearing, paying direct attention to the traitor's neck.

No blood.

That was impossible — Mizuki had been wounded by the captured nee-chan before the fighting had begun, right? So naturally any of the Mizuki's who weren't bleeding from the neck were fakes!

"Oi, nee-chan!" he called out to the redheaded girl, who was still trying to extricate herself from Mizuki's trap. Unfortunately, he'd managed to land some paralysis tags on her legs, preventing her from using her arms to get out. The irony was not lost on her, either. "Can those do—" he paused, noticing the wolves' glare. "err...wolves track blood?"

Hikari blinked at Naruto, unsure where he was going with this. "Yeah, of course, why?" she asked.

"That asshole Mizuki got nicked when you captured him, right? But his clones are fine!"

Eyes widening, Hikari realized the brat was right — and just as quickly wanted to ram her head on the ground for being so stupid. After all, how could she have overlooked such a ridiculous detail?!

"Yamainu! Kerberos! Sniff that bastard out!" she ordered her summons.

Mizuki, for his part, was not pleased with this turn of events, and his clones reflected that by glaring at the duo. "Sharp little pest," he growled before giving another sick grin and suddenly reappearing beside Hikari's head, kneeling beside her and keeping a kunai to her throat. "Still, I've got the upper hand here. So back off, mutts!" he ordered the two advancing wolves. "Or else your summoner gets to meet the Shinigami!"

"Ignore him!" Hikari counter-ordered. "Sic the bastard!"

The two wolves, however, could not do something that would endanger their summoner — it simply went against the summoning contract. Thus, left without recourse, the two wolves spared Naruto and Hikari a regretful look before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Sneering, Mizuki withdrew the kunai from Hikari's throat, raising himself to his full height to gloat at his victory.

Unfortunately, he hadn't counted on Naruto's streak for unpredictability.

Before Mizuki was able to speak a single syllable, something large and heavy rammed itself into his face, knocking him flat on his back. Blinking away the stars, the Konoha traitor realized he'd been beaned with the Forbidden Scroll.

Just in time for Naruto to close the distance and launch himself at Mizuki's fallen form, landing a solid punch into the man's bruised face.

Mizuki, however, wasn't a Chunin for his looks alone, unfortunately. Pushing Naruto roughly off of him, he jumped onto his feet and glared at his former student viciously.

"LITTLE BRAT!"

Before he could react more appropriately, however, Mizuki stopped short as he noticed that the blonde had his hands set up in an unfamiliar seal. Unfortunately for him, however, his temper had run its course, and so he was well beyond his usual caution now.

"I'm going to enjoy _gutting_ you, you little demon!" he roared as he charged the awaiting blonde, who just prayed his jutsu would work.

"Run!" Hikari shouted frantically as she tried to fight the restraining seals.

Naruto shook his head, his gaze steadier than it had ever been. "No more running," he said with a sort of strange, calm detachment. Pumping as much chakra as he could, figuring that more would be better, he called out the name of what would, years from then, become well known as his signature jutsu.

"_TAJU KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!_"

* * *

><p><strong><em>Post-AN: Again, if you recognize it, it's not mine. Plot still is, though. Sorry if some of you wanted an alternative to the Forbidden Scroll, but it really worked for the purposes of this chapter to introduce the Uzumaki <em>en masse_. Sets things up for when they have to deal with the Hokage. As for why he fell for such a stupid trick despite being -the- Sandaime, the explanation for that will be in the next chapter._**

**_December 13, 2013 Update: Chapter has been revised._**

Glossary:

Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Mass Shadow Clone Technique  
>Tsuiseki Fuin - Tracking Seal<br>Hyaku Rashomon Fuin - One Hundred Rashomon Seal  
>Taicho - CaptainCommander/Leader  
>Uzumaki no Fuinjutsu - Uzumaki Sealing Techniques<p>

Names (Fairy Tail Homologue)

**Keisuke** (Makarov) - Uzumaki Clan Elder  
><strong>Raiden<strong> (Laxus) - Uzumaki Clansman, Grandson of Keisuke  
><strong>Akemi<strong> (Mirajane) - Uzumaki Clansman, First degree cousin of Raiden, older sister of Daisuke and Miyuki  
><strong>Daisuke<strong> (Elfman) - Uzumaki Clansman, younger brother of Akemi, older brother of Lisanna  
><strong>Miyuki<strong> (Lisanna) - Uzumaki Clansman, younger sister of Akemi and Daisuke  
><strong>Eiji<strong> (Fried) - Uzumaki Clansman, first degree cousin of Raiden and Akemi/Daisuke/Miyuki  
><strong>Yuki<strong> (Gray) - Uzumaki Clansman by marriage (stepson of Uzumaki Nana)  
><strong>Kimiko<strong> (Erza) - Uzumaki Clansman, second degree cousin of Raiden  
><strong>Hiroki<strong> (Gildarts) - Uzumaki Clansman, nephew of Keisuke  
><strong>Nobuko<strong> (Cana) - Uzumaki Clansman, daughter of Hiroki  
><strong>Takeshi<strong> (Gajeel) - Uzumaki Clansman  
><strong>Natsu<strong> (Natsu) - Uzumaki Clansman  
><strong>Hikari<strong> (Lucy) - Uzumaki Clansman, first degree cousin of Nobuko and Amaya  
><strong>Amaya<strong> (Juvia) - Uzumaki Clansman  
><strong>Sora<strong> (Wendy) - Uzumaki Clansman, third degree cousin of Natsu and Takeshi  
><strong>Maki<strong> (Levy) - Uzumaki Clansman, fourth degree cousin of Eiji, sixth degree cousin of Takeshi


	4. Lost Clan Arc: Training  Uzumaki Style!

_**AN: Rejoice, masses! For the next chapter is upon us!**_

**_That said, is anyone else a little melancholic in realizing that Naruto, Bleach, and Mahou Sensei Negima are going to be ending soon (Naruto obviously much later than the other two, but still...)?_**

_**Anyway, a clarification on some things:**_

_**1. The destruction of Uzu and Uzushiogakure didn't happen in the Third War, but rather the Second. That's been changed in the previous chapters. Thanks to nissassa for pointing this out and providing me with an excellent estimated timeline (her own work) of events.**_

**_2. Pairings still undecided. Also, give me a break; they're only 12-13 at this time._**

**_3. The latest (anime) episode of Naruto Shippuden seems to have confirmed that the Uzumaki were, in fact, quite rowdy as a whole (according to Kushina). Nailed that one, I guess._**

**_4. Several details have been purposely left out of this chapter; these being the details of Natsu & Co's abilities, the reaction of the town to the Uzumaki Clan being alive, and a few other things. This was done on purpose and will be revealed in time._**

**_5. Other than the above, all I can say is expect the Uzumaki house life to be very similar to that of the daily life of a guild member at Fairy Tail. Booze and fighting included._**

* * *

><p>Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, didn't know what to make of this situation.<p>

Standing before him, in varying degrees of sheepishness, were a group of foreign ninjas (plus Naruto and a somewhat healed up Iruka) who had not only breached village security, but also put a healthy amount of the ninjas out for Naruto's head in the hospital.

Even so, just looking at them standing there before his desk was starting to give him a headache he normally associated with bad days at the office (read: tons of bureaucratic paperwork to go through). Most of the foreigners didn't seem even remotely concerned that they'd been caught assaulting Konoha citizens after having illegally infiltrated the village. Had this been Kirigakure, he had no doubts that his counterpart there would've had them all executed on sheer principle.

From left to right, he examined the varying shinobi who'd dared make a mockery of his village's security systems and had so brazenly interfered with his _ad hoc _covert operation to see who had tasked Naruto with stealing one of the most prized relics of his village.

The one at the furthest left was a young, lightish-red-haired boy who seemed to have an aversion to shirts, given that all he wore was a pair of loose slacks and a protective vest that wasn't even buttoned up. Honestly, considering he'd been caught fighting numerous of Konoha's finest in close-quarters fist-fights, it was a miracle he hadn't been more severely injured. Frowning, the Hokage made a mental note to order mandatory remedial training in Taijutsu for all active ninja.

Either way, on the scale of "a crap was not given" to "frantic", Hiruzen definitely put this one at the lower end of the scale, considering how he was gazing around, bored, with his hands idly intertwined behind his head. In fact, straining his hearing a bit, Hiruzen could've sworn the boy seemed to be humming to himself.

The Hokage was torn between admiring the boy's composure and wanting to throttle him.

To his (the boy's) left stood another uncaring individual, this one a lot more...eccentric. Steel studs adorned the boy's nose ridge and brow, giving him a slightly punkish, menacing air about him that was only worsened by his wild, unruly mane of black hair. At least this boy seemed to understand the need for shirts, however, even if it _was_ just a sleeveless (zipped up) vest.

Fortunately for the Hokage's increasing headache, the individual next to this imposing character was a small girl, who seemed a little fidgety and nervous — the way a child _usually_ acted when they knew they were in trouble. Of course, it helped that she looked no older than 12.

It was by this point, however, that he began to notice one peculiar similarity amongst the individuals, including the ones that followed in his inspection.

All of them were wearing, both on their clothing and as what seemed to be a tattoo, a spiral symbol, prominently placed where everyone could see.

This, in turn, raised quite a few alarm flags in Hiruzen's mind, as he obviously recognized it — after all, the very same symbol adorned Konoha's flak jackets. Before making any conclusions, however, he decided to finish his impromptu inspection.

After the little girl was a slightly older girl, and she seemed to be simply dispassionate about the whole affair, though not as condescending as the initial two boys. That said, Hiruzen wished she didn't show said attitude by idly filing her nails. The least she could do was show a little respect, right?

Then came a cheery looking girl who seemed awed by his office — which served well to stroke his bruised ego — though she, too, didn't seem too concerned about the consequences of her actions. If reports were correct, in fact, this one girl was perhaps the most dangerous of them all, considering that she'd made a mockery of the village's detection wards and managed to seal one of the four cardinal gates with a seal so potent the Hokage was seriously considering asking Jiraiya to get the hell back into Konoha so he could dispel it.

Then after the amazed girl was another bored teen boy (seriously, what the hell?) who'd been escorted into the room fully clothed, but now seemed to be inexplicably missing his shirt. Unlike the first two boys, however, the boy's spiral tattoo wasn't on the arm, but rather on his upper left pectoral, right above the heart. Apparently, it wasn't uniformly placed.

Then came the girl who most intrigued him (well...after the sealing girl): the one who'd been found with Naruto, and who kept glancing at said blonde every few seconds with expressions ranging from curious, to scrutinizing, to critical, and finally accepting. Like the others, she too wore a unique outfit whose only similarity ended with the spiral design placed prominently on her outfit's shoulders.

Figuring there was no point in further dawdling, Hiruzen sighed as he grabbed his pipe and idly unblocked it by tapping it onto his desk. "Before we begin," he spoke up, catching all of their attentions (thankfully, considering he was about another devil-may-care attitude away from ordering ANBU to force them to pay attention), "Let me remind you of the charges being brought up against you all."

"Even me?" piped up Naruto with a pout.

WHAM

"Sorry about that Hokage-sama, please continue," Iruka apologized as his fist remained planted on the top of Naruto's head. The teacher knew Naruto would get off, considering the extenuating circumstances, but interfering in a major debrief like this could still get the blonde in plenty of trouble.

Nodding thankfully at Iruka, the Hokage returned his attention to the foreign shinobi, waiting to take a drag from his pipe first before continuing. "You all stand accused of illegal breaching of Konoha's defenses, tampering with said defense systems, and..." he glanced down at the report laid open on his desk, sweatdropping at what he saw. "...one hundred and sixty-three counts of battery and assault."

Almost immediately, the girl with the huge scroll at the end of the line turned to glare at the two boys at the other end specifically. "_Really_?!" she demanded.

The two boys seemed sensible enough to sweat profusely under the girl's withering glare. "They started it!" protested the boy with the light red hair. "They said my hair was pink!"

Apparently silently deciding not to make matters worse, everyone in the room wisely decided not to point out that it was, in fact, quite pink-ish.

"And that's not even counting the collateral damage," Hiruzen ploughed on, unwilling to get too distracted from the main point. "Apparently there were a few buildings missing...mouthfuls of metal?" he paused and re-read that phrase in the report, certain he was hallucinating.

Unfortunately, he wasn't, and this was quickly confirmed when the boy with the studs shrugged. "What? I got peckish," he defended himself as the nail-filing girl restrained the one with the huge scroll from maiming her compatriot.

"So eat a snack bar like a normal person," grumbled the stripperiffic one, who was apparently mid-way through losing his pants.

"Why don't _you _stop losing your clothes, like a normal person?" the teen shot back, to the boy's confusion.

"Eh...Nii-chan...your pants..." spoke up the youngest one, hiding a blush behind her hands.

"MOTHERF—!"

Feeling his headache just get worse as this impromptu mass interview went on, Hiruzen seriously considered doing as Ibiki had suggested and just turning them over to Torture and Interrogation. Unfortunately, due to the fact that they'd saved Naruto from a traitor, he had to at least pay them the courtesy to _not_ put them through Ibiki's hands.

For now.

"Enough," Hiruzen spoke firmly while adding a fair bit of his killing intent behind it. Almost immediately the room stilled again, much to his pleasure. "These crimes are serious offenses, and quite a few of the battery counts have been relegated to the hospital for their injuries. Those, however, pale in the face of the security breaches," here he stared intently at the perky girl, who shrunk in on herself under his scrutiny, "and the sealing of one of our village gates."

"Normal protocol, then, would be to throw you all in jail right now," he continued, undeterred. "However, Naruto here, as well as Chunin Instructor Umino Iruka," he motioned towards the aforementioned duo, "have both given sworn statements saying you were instrumental in saving their lives and protecting the Forbidden Scroll, a priceless heirloom of our village. For that reason alone, you are not in the hands of our interrogation squad."

Hiruzen relished the sober looks on the teens faces, having had to deal with their devil-may-care attitudes at _three in the fucking morning_.

"So let's make this sweet and simple, so I can go back to bed," he offered as he snapped his fingers, prompting a masked ninja to appear standing beside him, a clipboard and pencil on hand. "Please state your names and affiliation for the record, and we will proceed with the questioning."

The group looked amongst itself for a moment before the pink-haired one took the lead. "Name's Natsu!" he declared cockily, thumping his chest. "As for affiliation, I can't say without the team leader's permission!"

Hiruzen was tempted to strangle the boy then and there, but grunted in acquiescence. "Fine," he allowed, to the ANBU agent's surprise. "Position in your team, then?"

Natsu seemed to think it over for a moment before shrugging. "Heavy hitter."

The boy next to him snorted.

"Something funny, asshole?!" challenged Natsu.

"Whatever," his companion said mid-shrug before staring down the Hokage. "Name's Takeshi. Same as the idiot," he said as he gestured his head in Natsu's direction, prompting the boy to try and throttle him. They were both restrained, oddly, by the perky girl, who seemed to have set up a seal while no one had been looking and had activated it with a carefree smile at the Hokage, thoroughly unnerving him. Realizing it wasn't dangerous, he held up his hand to prevent the ANBU agents still hidden in the room from killing her where she stood.

"And you, young miss?" he asked the youngest kindly, inadvertently reverting to his grandfatherly attitude. After all, despite the seriousness of the situation he still loved children.

"S-Sora, sir," she meekly replied. "T-Team m-medic..."

A few Konoha eyebrows rose at that declaration. Ninja medics were infamously difficult to train due to the precise chakra control needed for the profession. For such a young girl to have mastered it to the extent that she was allowed to perform combat medic duties, it was almost unthinkable!

"Amaya, combat support," the girl beside her then spoke up, preempting the Hokage's question.

"Maki, Sealing Specialist," the perky girl introduced herself with a slight bow, still somehow maintaining the seal that had frozen Natsu and Takeshi into place as though they were statues of an impending, epic duel. Hiruzen gave the subtlest of nods to the recording ANBU to take special consideration of the girl.

"Yuki, combat support," the stripper-boy spoke up then. "Honestly, is this all necessary?" he whined, only to receive a chastising smack upside the head by the final member of the group, who planted her hands on her hips and puffed out her considerable bust as she stared down the Hokage, obviously quite proud of who she was.

"Hikari, Team Leader," she announced, her tone daring anyone to challenge her on that. "We are the Advance Guard of Uzushiogakure's Uzumaki Clan, here to secure the safety of the last Clan Head," she stated proudly. At that moment, the Sandaime Hokage watched as a group of teenage troublemakers suddenly morphed before his eyes into true shinobi, their worry and carelessness vanishing as though it had never been there before. Even little Sora seemed to lose her nervousness.

You could've heard a pin drop after that declaration.

In fact, the ANBU's pencil _did_ drop onto the floor as all the Konoha ninja in the room stared dumbfounded at the group. Hiruzen, in particular, seemed about ready to keel over from that statement, and Naruto, for once, was shocked silent, as was Iruka.

Hiruzen's mind was awhirl. The Uzumaki Clan, after the death of Kushina, had been considered either near or completely extinct. Sure, there were odd reports of survivors of Uzushiogakure's destruction, but no one had really estimated that a significant amount of survivors had been left alive.

Their relationship with Konoha, too, was both a source of pride for the older veterans and a mark of shame. After all, while Uzushiogakure was being destroyed, Konoha had been unable (and some unpleasant quarters might even say _unwilling_) to send reinforcements to aid their life-long allies at the time. Thus, in a way, they shared the burden of its destruction. As such, while heartening to hear that members of that prestigious and remarkable clan had survived, he knew their resurgence was also a herald of troubling times to come.

"Uzu...maki?" breathed Iruka, immediately looking down to his side at Naruto, who seemed just as shell-shocked.

Hikari nodded once. "That's right. Under orders of Clan Elder Daiō no Keisuke, we have been dispatched ahead of the Clan to secure the safety of the last Clan Head," she repeated herself before pointing to Naruto, much to everyone's further surprise. Okay, maybe not the Hokage's, but everyone else from Konoha at that point was pretty damn surprised. "Him."

"P...Preposterous!" shouted the recording ANBU, the clipboard shaking in his hands. "The Uzumaki were wiped out when Uzushiogakure fell to the combined forces of Kumo, Iwa, Umi, and Kiri!"

Takeshi grunted. "Shows what you know," he said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I...I'm Clan...Head?" asked Naruto then, reminding everyone that the objective of the group's mission was in the room with them as well. In fact, many were surprised that he hadn't been his boisterous self, but then the amount of surprising information would've knocked anyone off balance.

Hikari flinched at the question, but thankfully Amaya fielded that one. "Eh, not quite," she said, giving a sort-of motion with her hand. "More accurately, you're the last Candidate for Clan Head," she elaborated. "Either way, we're here to make sure no one tries to kill you while the Clan arrives."

"Wait a second!" Hiruzen cried out as he shot to his feet and grabbed onto his desk for support. "_What?!_"

Hikari scratched at her cheek. "Did we not mention that?" she asked sheepishly. "Elder Keisuke will be bringing the Uzumaki Clan to Konoha in a few weeks," she said with a grin. "All of it."

Hiruzen couldn't help but latch onto the girl's expression then. The way she had unnecessarily added that last part made him think that having the Uzumaki all in one place was a rarity, which didn't make sense...unless it did.

Wanting to smack himself for having overlooked such a possibility, the Sandaime Hokage finally managed to put the pieces together, theoretically resolving the question as to how the Uzumaki could've gone so many years without being found, if they were still active. Simply put, they'd divided their numbers to avoid detection. A brilliant plan in its simplicity!

And, knowing Keisuke had been the one to order the advance guard to infiltrate Konoha, he wasn't surprised. He'd heard of Keisuke, back when Uzushiogakure was still thriving. While he wasn't aware of why they called him Keisuke the Great, he knew of the man's reputation, and it was quite fearsome. Still, if the man was still alive and kicking, he would be well in his eighties...which would help to prove what these children were claiming, since the Uzumaki were notoriously long-lived.

"So Daiō no Keisuke still lives..." he mumbled, pondering this new turn of events. "Why not just send a missive to inform us?" he demanded of Hikari, who shrugged.

"We were supposed to deliver it before we got sidetracked," she admitted as she pulled out said letter from within her battle attire and offered it to him. "With Choro-sama's compliments."

Taking the letter with a nod, the Hokage silently read through its contents, most of which was simple confirmation of what the teens had been claiming. Hiruzen sweatdropped, however, when he read the passage warning him of certain members of the group's tendencies to overdo things, typically resulting in mass collateral damage.

A warning a tad too late, Hiruzen contemplated.

"It's authentic," he judged as he read through the letter. Keisuke was no fool even in his old age, it seemed. He'd included bits and pieces of incriminating evidence to verify his identity throughout the letter, including several anecdotes about the Nidaime that none but a select few would know about. "So he's serious about this? Relocating the Uzumaki Clan to Konoha?" he asked the group in general, though he mostly expected Hikari to field that one.

"He is," she confirmed.

Hiruzen grunted in acquiescence before pondering on the ramifications of such a move. For one thing, he knew he'd have his old teammates on his back for months to come, and Danzo would be insufferable. Ironically, however, he knew it wouldn't be because he'd failed in some way (in their distinguished opinion), but in order to streamline the Uzumaki's integration into Konoha's ranks. Koharu and Homura would be ecstatic at earning Konoha a new clan, especially one as powerfully renowned as the Uzumaki, whatever their feelings were for the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. Danzo, on the other hand, would be one to keep an eye on, as the warhawk would no doubt seek to leverage the Uzumaki into revealing their prized Fuin techniques.

Hiruzen doubted he would succeed.

Beyond mere seal masters and a rowdy bunch, the Uzumaki were a proud clan, and he couldn't think of a single traitor having been born to that clan — though, granted, that could just mean they killed off such people before they could do any damage.

Still, this would be an amazing coup, if he presided over the arrival of another, ancient clan. Though rumors persisted that the Nidaime had been chosen as such due to his successful recruitment of the Hyuga Clan, only those old enough to remember those days knew it to be true. While Hiruzen knew he didn't need any further validation of his post, he couldn't deny that getting a massive popularity boost would come in handy, particularly as Homura and Koharu became more aligned with Danzo than himself.

It sounded cold, but Hiruzen had long since reconciled with that part of the job. The Hokage could enforce his own agenda to a certain extent, but the needs of the village outweighed personal philosophies. He didn't have a council to overrule him or make his life a living hell like Suna did, true, but one didn't need a vote to make a leader's life difficult, as Homura and Koharu had discovered.

He could still recall how they had actually backed him up, along with Danzo (miraculously so), when he shot down the civilian proposal for a governing council comprised of the Clan Heads and prominent civilians. This was a military village, after all, and civilians were only allowed to reside in the village due to the fact that they catered to ninjas. They could leave at any time, too, considering that ever since the first immigrants had arrived, the ninja clans had learned many a trade, some clans even going so far as to be practically self-sufficient.

As a matter of fact, most civilians ended up opening shops or restaurants — very few, if any civilian artisans remained to justify the handing over of any sort of power. In short, that meant that while their services were indeed invaluable, they were only mere intermediaries — easily replaceable and hardly mission critical. At most, he could only really recognize their use as future shinobi breeders.

Nodding to himself, Hiruzen folded the letter and placed it in his uniform. "Very well," he acquiesced. "Please have one of your group report to my office here tomorrow afternoon, and I shall have a reply ready for Keisuke-san," he stated.

"Does that mean we're free to go?" Takeshi half-asked, half demanded. He was thankfully quieted by what seemed to be a pain seal being activated, courtesy of a sweetly smiling Maki. Hiruzen made a note not to cross that girl, considering her ability to enact seals with uncanny speed and subtlety.

Ignoring the profuse swearing, Hiruzen nodded. "Yes," he confirmed as he took a drag from his pipe. "This has been a long and confusing evening, and I for one wish to return to my sleep," he stated gruffly. Eyeing Naruto then, he gave the young boy a grandfatherly smile. "As for you, Naruto, thank you for returning the scroll and defeating Mizuki. You were very brave," he complimented the child honestly.

Naruto, still somewhat stunned by the revelations of the meeting, nonetheless managed to return to his typical, hyperactive self as he grinned brightly and gave the Hokage a radiant thumbs up. "No problem, jiji!" he all but yelled. "That bastard had nothing on me!"

"Not what I saw..." Hikari grumbled, remembering how the boy had ran away after Iruka had gone down.

"Quite, quite," Hiruzen said in between laughs, much to the disapproval of some of the ANBU, though the Uzumaki group seemed heartened by the kind treatment being levied on the boy. "I also understand congratulations are in order?" he asked with a knowing smile as he eyed the dirty headband on the boy's forehead.

That seemed to kick out any worries and sleepiness from the boy as he jumped about excitedly. "Yeah! I'm genin now! Iruka said so!"

"Iruka-_sensei_," said teacher coughed correctively.

"Whatever! That means I passed the exam, right?!" he half-asked, half-begged of the Hokage.

Said old man chuckled and was about to confirm his statement when Hikari brought up her hand. "Wait."

Almost immediately, the feeling in the room turned less jovial, though all of the Uzumaki wore frowns at what was happening before them.

"Is there a problem?" the Hokage asked, wishing they'd just let him confirm the boy's graduation and go back to sleep. Old men needed their rest, damnit!

"He is Uzumaki," Hikari pointed out quite redundantly, garnering some nods from her group. "We ask that graduation be suspended until Elder Keisuke arrives with the other Elders to preside over a new exam."

Hiruzen frowned. That would set back the students' mission starts quite a bit. "That would be highly irregular," he protested, even as Iruka grabbed onto a steaming Naruto, who would have gone on to curse Hikari with every dirty word in his remarkably large profane vocabulary if Iruka hadn't also slapped a hand over his mouth. Even so, the teacher did seem as upset as the boy, though he managed to keep his cool. "Naruto has achieved the minimum required for graduation, and his education falls under the Konoha educational charter. I cannot make exceptions of this sort."

Hikari planted her hands on her hips as she stood her ground. "That boy will become our Clan Head," she refuted. "As such, we are the main interested party in his education and welfare, and from what I saw during today's fight, his ninja skills were poorly developed and based despairingly much on sheer dumb luck and last-second improvisation," she pointed out. "Based on what we've seen during our investigations, he seems to have been regularly mistreated during his time at the academy by his teachers and peers, present company excluded," she noted with a nod to Iruka, who'd looked away in shame at the mention of his colleagues. "We have reason to believe, therefore, that his education has been sabotaged, and this will not do. We will not see our future _Tōshu_ let loose upon the ninja world with the barest of skills under his belt."

Hiruzen remained silent throughout Hikari's tirade, and had to admit he was quite impressed by her fearlessness in addressing him. Moreover, her passionate plea made him respect her all the more for it, as very few were willing to stand up to him when it really counted. Furthermore, she had a valid point.

Even so, he made a note to have the Academy faculty investigated for possible child abuse and/or neglect. Without a doubt, Ibiki would have a field day.

"...Very well," he conceded, much to Iruka and Naruto's shock, with the latter's expression quickly reflecting feelings of betrayal. Wincing at this, Hiruzen nonetheless remained steadfast as he nodded to Hikari. "All student graduation notifications will be revoked, in the spirit of fairness, and a new graduation exam, personally designed by myself and Iruka, will be applied under our direct supervision two weeks from now. Will that suffice?" he asked.

Hikari eyed Maki, who made quick, almost indiscernible hand seals before activating her Uzumaki tattoo and making it blink in code. Pausing after finishing, they then saw the tattoo blink in code again, relaying the clan's response.

"Agreed," she confirmed as she extended her hand. Hiruzen gladly took it and they both shook on their agreement.

"I imagine you will all be seeing to Naruto's education, then?" he asked, having deduced the reason they wanted the postponement.

Hikari gave a smirk, even as Naruto's eyes widened. "Of course. By the time we're through with him, he'll give your best a run for their money."

* * *

><p>"Alright, runt, let's see what you've got," announced Takeshi the next morning as he squared off with Naruto at one of the empty training fields.<p>

After the night's events, the Uzumaki group had crowded in Naruto's apartment — which had, in turn, nearly caused the group to start an uprising in outrage at his living conditions (which, though modest, were in all fairness still quite good for an orphan, albeit not a future Clan Head). Nonetheless, he'd managed to talk them down humbly, which seemed quite out of character with the usually loudmouthed, hyperactive bundle of energy. After a restless night's sleep, however, he'd been all but kicked out of his bed by Natsu and Takeshi at seven in the morning, even as Sora and Amaya set the table and Hikari cooked away, humming to herself.

It was surreal for the boy.

Having lived alone his entire life, he could barely comprehend that he now lived with others — much less that he would be living with a whole _clan_ — and for a moment had the urge to scream at the apparent intruders in his apartment. Only remembering the events of the previous night had stopped him from doing so, and he even beamed at Hikari once she mentioned she'd been the one to discover him and protect him from the thugs who'd nearly killed him.

That said, he did try to gut her with his fork when he heard they'd ritually destroyed his beloved jumpsuit.

From the others' reactions, though, he quickly realized this sort of violent interaction was commonplace with their family, and Natsu and Takeshi were quick to give boisterous laughs and even try to challenge each other, before Maki put her foot down, literally, and sealed everyone into place.

When the landlord had come around to yell at him, Takeshi had answered the door and glared at the landlord until the man wept apologies and nearly soiled himself as he ran away. Laughing together at the cramped table, Naruto had grinned happily as the group interacted like long-lost family...which they were.

That said, he really wished Natsu and Takeshi hadn't eaten more than half his ramen stock in the process of eating _breakfast_.

After a few more hours of trying to set up a showering schedule and finding privacy to change, the group had set off for one of the training areas, where they now sat about watching Naruto and Takeshi square off. While Natsu was considered more powerful than the pierced boy by Keisuke, Takeshi was nonetheless a master of close-quarters fighting, even more so than Natsu, who was just good at everything that didn't really require brain power.

"Don't call me runt, metal face," Naruto shot back, causing Takeshi to raise an eyebrow and smirk.

"Good spirit, I like that," the pierced boy said as he pulled down on his gloves to make sure they were nice and snug. "Let's see how you do in a fight, however." He spread his arms wide and gave a slightly deranged smile at Naruto. "Come on. Try to hit me just once, and if you land a hit, you win."

Naruto grinned cockily. "One hit? No problem!" he said just before charging right at Takeshi, who now frowned.

Sitting by the sidelines, the rest of the group, minus Yuki, who'd gone to deliver the official letter to Keisuke; watched as Naruto made a beeline for Takeshi, who seemed unimpressed.

"Well, he's nothing if not consistent," Hikari mused as she rested her chin on her palms.

"Takeshi-kun doesn't seem too happy, though," Maki pointed out before wincing as said boy just took a step to the side and completely evaded Naruto's attack, causing the boy to trip and slide a good few meters on the ground. "Ouch."

"Takeshi won't be so easily hit," Natsu said, for once seemingly serious. "He takes fighting seriously, so we can't expect him to give the runt any overt chances."

"_Tōshu Koho_, not runt," Amaya corrected idly as she filed away at her fingers. "Have some respect, blockhead."

"YOU WANNA FIGHT, BITCH?!" roared Natsu at the unconcerned girl.

"Lean right," Maki ordered, and almost instinctively, Hikari did so, just as Naruto went flying by, courtesy of a punch from Takeshi. "Takeshi-kun's being really rough."

"I'll heal Naruto-sama," Sora offered as she got up and started running towards the fallen boy, only to be stopped by Takeshi's shout.

"Let him be!" the pierced boy ordered, arms crossed. "If he needs healing after just that little love tap, he ain't worthy to be ninja, much less Clan Head!"

"Oi, oi..." Amaya mumbled as she sweatdropped. "That's going a little far..."

Naruto, however, seemed reinvigorated by that challenge. "Fuck you, metal face!" he shouted back as he got to his feet. "I'm going to become Hokage _and_ Clan Head if it's the last thing I do!" he roared before charging Takeshi head on again, causing many from the group to groan in expectation of his next beating.

What they didn't know, however, was that Naruto wasn't known as the Number 1 Unpredictable Prankster King of Konoha just because it sounded cool. No, his tactical awareness, while undeveloped, was still nonetheless remarkably brilliant in its natural state. Having realized a head-on approach was futile, the boy nonetheless feinted doing so until he was but a few steps away from Takeshi, who began twisting on his ankle to deliver a roundhouse kick that would've undoubtedly sent him flying again.

This time, however, the boy threw himself forward and slid on the ground until he'd reached Takeshi's back and then jumped at the boy, arm readied to deliver a solid punch, just as his opponent turned to face him.

Unfortunately, Takeshi wasn't the Third Dragon for nothing, either.

Instinctively grabbing the boy's arm right out of the air, Takeshi gave a roar as he used it to swing the boy away from him, causing Naruto to carve a deep gouge in the ground upon landing.

Needless to say, Takeshi wasn't the only one surprised by the turn of events. All of his spectators were looking on with wide eyes, and Natsu even had his jaw drop. He'd never seen someone adapt so quickly to fighting Takeshi, or take advantage of an opening so fast!

"Not bad, kid," Takeshi praised, still in his throwing pose. "Nearly got me there."

"Bullshit..." Naruto coughed as he got to his knees. "You're just toying with me."

"Impressive," Takeshi praised again. "Alright, want another go?" he half-asked, half-taunted as he motioned to himself.

To Naruto's credit, he gave an excited grin as he got back to his feet. "Damn right I do," he said. "You said one hit and I win. I'm not backing down till I've done that. Believe it!"

"Hehe...nice spirit," Takeshi commented as the boy charged him again. "But you know...fool me once, shame on you..." he said as Naruto once again dodged his initial counterattack and aimed for his back. "Fool me twice...shame on me!" he yelled as he quickly twisted and rammed his fist down onto the boy's head, planting it solidly into the ground.

Where it then exploded in a cloud of smoke.

"What?!" he yelled in surprise, just as he felt a hostile presence behind him. Quickly jumping away, he managed to dodge Naruto's jump-kick just in time, landing instead a solid blow on the blonde's back with a roundhouse kick and sending the Jinchuuriki flying again. "...Kage Bunshin?" he mused, amused. "Nice trick, but we're fighting with Taijutsu here."

Naruto groaned as he got to his feet, but still managed to give Takeshi a smirk. "You said I had to land a hit. You never said no Ninjutsu," he pointed out.

Takeshi blinked before looking over at the group for confirmation, causing them and Naruto to sweatdrop. Sighing, Hikari nodded tiredly. "Yeah, he's right," she confirmed.

Scratching his head with a frown, Takeshi turned to face Naruto again as he thought things through. Technically Kage Bunshin could allow the boy to better develop a fighting style more suited to him, rather than one of those strict, kata-based ones Takeshi had learned. After all, given the boy's penchant for improvisation, predictability wasn't exactly something he'd take to learning with gusto.

"Alright, then," he agreed as he slid into a fighting stance, his frown turning serious. "Kage Bunshins allowed, but no other jutsus," he ordered. "Same rules as before, but with one added rule. You hit me once, you win. However, this time I'll be fighting back, so if instead you can avoid getting knocked out in ten minutes, you win."

"Oi, oi..." grumbled Hikari. "Don't go crazy on him, now..."

Takeshi made no sign to have heard the team leader, so when Naruto grinned excitedly and approved of the new rules, Takeshi smirked and immediately disappeared, reappearing mid-swing in front of the blonde, who only managed to dodge at the last second.

"Holy crap!" Naruto yelled as Takeshi left a small crater where he used to be. "What the hell, man?!"

Takeshi glanced up at his prey with a smirk. "I said I'd be fighting too, remember? Don't disappoint me now and chicken out, runt!" he yelled as he launched himself at Naruto once more.

Said doomed blonde quickly evaded the next punch, kick, and combo, but only just barely. Cursing, he realized that Takeshi's blows were perfectly timed to prevent him from using the Kage Bunshin.

Strangely, it reminded him of how Sasuke fought.

Eyes widening, Naruto realized that comparison was quite correct. Like against Sasuke, he couldn't find a single opening in Takeshi's moves, often leaving him in a bind. Eventually, getting backed up so much resulted in his losing, which meant he either had to find an opening quick, or...

An idea lit up Naruto's frowning expression. Jumping back to avoid another drop kick from his trainer, he spread out his footing for better leverage and, unlike the other times, didn't move the second Takeshi showed up in front of him again, ready to knock him out.

Instead, Naruto quickly crossed his arms over his chin, just as Takeshi landed a decent blow that sent him flying again. From the looks of the older teen, he'd been disappointed at having managed to do so.

"Giving up already, runt?" Takeshi asked with a frown. "I know you could've dodged that one."

Lying on his back, Naruto smirked up at the sky. "Like hell, metal face," he shot back, bringing up his hands to form a familiar seal. "I just needed the time to do _this_!" he shouted. "_Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"

"Oh, sh—" Takeshi swore as he rushed forward to stop Naruto. Too little, too late.

A good 50 clones appeared due to Naruto's inexperienced handling of the technique. While daunting to look at, the Uzumaki group knew they didn't stand a chance against Takeshi, especially if they all fought like Naruto at the moment. Even so, it was an impressive accomplishment, though Hikari had already seen him perform a much larger-scale version of this technique.

With a deafening, collective battle roar, the tide of blondes rushed at Takeshi, who smirked as he widened his stance and felt a rush of adrenaline at fighting so many opponents at the same time.

Lashing out with short punches and fluid kicks, Takeshi took on every single clone at the same time, managing to score a hit with every blow he threw. Heck, at one point he just grabbed one of the attacking clones by the feet and began using him as a flail against the others, much to the group's amusement.

Eventually, the constant popping of shadow clones ensured that most of Takeshi's immediate vicinity was covered in smoke, though the teen couldn't quite tell due to having descended into a battle frenzy as he took great pleasure going all out on the horde of blondes.

On the sidelines, Hikari sighed knowingly even as Maki kept relating the events happening inside the cloud of smoke, one hand on the ground and in a spiral seal array.

"Takeshi's going to lose," Hikari judged.

"Because time's running out, Hikari-nee?" asked Sora curiously.

The team leader shook her head as she rested her cheek in her palm. "He's lost awareness of his surroundings."

The more battle experienced members nodded gravely at the assertion, including Natsu, who'd also noticed that Takeshi was starting to lose himself in his fight.

As for said pierced teen, he'd had to admit he'd never quite had this much fun in quite a while. With the _Kage Bunshins_ around to give him a veritable horde of practice dummies, he'd had to cut a little loose in order to deal with the increased numbers, though individually they remained terrible at Taijutsu. Still, the growing unpredictability of their attacks ensured he remained on his toes.

Feeling another clone coming at him from behind, Takeshi swept his leg in a reverse heel kick, only to blink in surprise as this particular clone dodged it with a grin, just as another clone came down onto his head, courtesy of being thrown by two other clones.

Realizing their tactics were finally evolving, Takeshi grinned as he jumped in time to avoid the lower clone's attack, twisted in the air, and pulled the upper clone into a devastating body slam onto the ground. Already turning towards his new target, Takeshi was suddenly caught off guard as he felt something solid hit his leg.

Blinking, he stopped mid-attack against a clone and looked down to see the body-slammed clone _not_ disappear. Instead, said clone had reached out and weakly hit him on the leg. Realizing he'd been had, Takeshi was about to grin in praise when he felt another solid hit land on his cheek, staggering him.

Then a kick to his ribs. Another punch to his face. A sweep to drop him. More punching and kicking.

Pretty soon, Takeshi was on the ground being beaten to a pulp by a wave of pissed off blondes bent on exacting revenge for the beatings they'd suffered at his hands. Needless to say, the Uzumaki group sweatdropped at the scene.

"Natsu," Hikari spoke up. "You're up."

Said pink-haired Dragon grinned excitedly and slammed a fist into an open palm. "Finally," he declared as he walked over to the scene of mass beating. "Oi, shrimp! Time's up! I'm your opponent now!"

And so began another round of Taijutsu 'training'.

* * *

><p>As Hikari watched Sora heal the stain on the ground called Naruto's wounds after a gruelling session against Natsu, she pondered on the results of that hour's training session.<p>

Without a doubt, teaching the boy theory was a bad idea. Anyone with a brain could see the boy was all about learning with his body. Sitting him down and trying to teach him theory would just prove an exercise in both futility and frustration, and Hikari wasn't nearly masochistic enough to try her hand at that.

On the other hand, there _was_ a number of subjects that were purely theoretical that he _would_ have to learn, even if only to have it handy, just in case.

"I've seen enough," she stated as she got back up, shouldering her summoning scroll straps once more. Amaya, Natsu, and the bandaged up mummy called Takeshi all looked at her, while Maki remained sitting, her head bowed and hand still within the seal array in order to monitor the training field's surroundings.

Walking over to Naruto and Sora, who was happily chatting away with the blonde as she healed him, Hikari looked down at his stricken form with a frown.

"You suck," she told him bluntly.

"HEY!"

"Shut up. It's the truth," she cut him off immediately, also shooting Sora a glare to cut off her defense of the blonde. "Pretty much the only impressive thing about you is your stamina, which we all have, your massive chakra reserves, and your on-the-fly planning. Beyond that, you suck something awful."

Naruto lay there, glaring a hole into her head, which she shrugged off. "Fortunately for you, we can fix that," she stated, but just as quickly shot down his rising hopes. "Unfortunately for you, we're not the best teachers the clan has to offer, so you probably won't get the best grade when the exam comes around. That said, you won't be dead last either."

"Well, at least you're honest," Naruto grumbled.

"Get used to it," Hikari stated before motioning towards Natsu. "See the idiot there? I'm the one who looked after him, growing up." she ignored Natsu's indignant roar and attempt at throttling her — a failed attempt once Maki sealed him into place with instinctive ease. "Now, until Keisuke-choro gets here, I'm going to be in charge of you, so expect me to ride your ass until you get to an acceptable level. We've only got two weeks to do so, so unless you break a bone, I expect you to work with all you've got, understood?"

Meekly, Naruto nodded, and Hikari left with a satisfied smile. Shortly thereafter, Natsu sidled up to Naruto and sat by the stricken boy, giving him a commiserating smile.

"She must like you," the pink haired boy noted.

"You think? She just said I suck!"

Natsu grinned. "She told me that when we first met, too," he reminisced fondly to when Hikari and he had been kids. "She doesn't mean anything by it. She's just blunt that way."

"Crazy bitch..." muttered Naruto, causing Natsu to laugh and Sora to chide him for his language.

"She's a little heavy, yeah, but Kari-nee has her heart in the right place," Natsu opined. "She's strong, too."

"Stronger than you?" Naruto asked archly, prompting a shrug from Natsu.

"Sometimes, yeah. She wasn't picked as team leader just 'cause she's cute, y'know," Natsu reminded Naruto with a grin. "Keisuke-choro wanted to make her a field agent even before she got assigned the mission that started this whole thing."

"How strong is she, then?" asked Naruto, curious. Natsu shrugged again.

"Not nearly as strong as Akem, Kimiko or Raiden, or even old man Hiroki or Keisuke-choro," he estimated. "And probably not as strong as me, all around. But if she's got her summons out? She'd be tough to take down..." he guessed, having never gone all out with Hikari before. Still, her skill at summoning was nothing to sneeze at, and even Kimiko had praised her for her talent. "My guess is she's what you guys call Tokubetsu Jounin."

Naruto's eyes widened at that estimate. Tokubetsu Jounin, or Special Jounin, were those who, while not all around as skilled as a full Jonin, nonetheless excelled in one or more particular fields at the Jonin level. Most Tokubetsu Jounin tended not to be field combat officers, since the village required a great deal of skilled investigators, interrogators, torturers, and cryptographers on hand at all times. In fact, Naruto couldn't really say he knew any Tokubetsu Jounin. Still, to have his training in the hands of one suddenly didn't sound so bad.

The two heard a soft popping sound then, and looked up to see Hikari stretching her neck to the left and right, one arm resting on her massive summoning scroll. Suddenly, both Natsu and Naruto felt the pit of their stomachs descend sharply.

"Alright. You've had your fun with the idiot duo," she said with a growing smirk.

"OI!" said two idiots shouted in indignation, though one of them was muffled by the amount of bandages wrapped around his head, courtesy of Naruto's payback beating.

"Shut up. Go sit with the others," she ordered. Predictably, Natsu cowered from her wrath and joined the others on the sidelines. She then returned her attention to Naruto and Sora. "Sora, is he good for another round?"

The Fourth Dragon glanced at her patient nervously before giving him an apologetic look. "He is," she confirmed. "Sorry," she mouthed at him as she got up and scurried away. Grumbling at backstabbing clansmen, Naruto slowly got back up to his feet, mentally vowing revenge on Natsu and Sora for leaving him at the not-so-tender mercies of Hikari.

Said doombringer grinned viciously as she watched Naruto take a stance. "Good, you're learning," she praised lightly before bringing forward her scroll and setting it up vertically on the ground. "But this lesson ain't gonna be about fighting."

"What?" asked Naruto, confused.

"For the next half hour, I will be attacking you like crazy. You have that long to survive," she explained, ignoring his question or the general wincing of her clansmen. Without any further warning, she grabbed the edge of the scroll and gave a powerful pull, revealing to Naruto the most complicated sets of seal arrays he'd _ever_ seen. "_Kuchiyose!_" she called out, causing a decent number of smoke bursts to appear out of nowhere all around her.

When the smoke settled, Naruto swallowed audibly as he watched Foxes, Eagles, and Wolves of all shapes and sizes materialize, all of them already ready to visit great bodily harm on him if he wasn't careful.

"Training time..." Hikari sang out. "Start! Get'im, boys!"

With a chorus of howls and shrieks, Hikari's summons zeroed in on Naruto, who yelled hysterically as he ran away from the horde of summons.

* * *

><p>A week and a half passed in this manner.<p>

Mornings (and by mornings, Hikari meant _mornings_) were entirely dedicated to taijutsu, where Takeshi, Natsu, and Hikari took turns beating the crap out of Naruto while he rapidly improved his stances and battle tactics under pain of great bodily harm. At first, he'd only managed to pull off basic fighting tactics, but that had soon changed once the group had discovered Naruto's Shadow Clones' abilities at information transmission.

The discovery was a complete accident, naturally. Maki, who along with Sora and Amaya took turns at teaching him more theoretical concepts during the afternoons, had asked him to retrieve a book from the library, but Naruto, beaten and bruised from the morning's session, had been unwilling to go personally, and so had sent out a Shadow Clone to do it for him. A few minutes later, he'd clutched his head in an involuntary wince. When asked what had happened, he said he'd been hit on the head by something hard. Knowing the boy hadn't taken a foot out of his bed, Maki had sent out Amaya to check out the place where Naruto claimed he'd been assaulted.

As it turned out, someone had tripped with their groceries, letting a large melon go flying in the process and beaning Naruto's clone on the back of the head, dispelling it.

When Amaya had reported this, Maki gained a gleam in her eyes that Naruto _really_ didn't like and, proclaiming this to be "FOR SCIENCE!", ordered him to summon a baker's dozen of clones.

Unwilling to argue with the crazy lady, Naruto obliged, and Maki soon began experimenting on them by having them leave the room and perform various chores. After a few minutes, she ordered one to dispel, and asked Naruto if he suddenly knew something. Upon confirmation, Maki then began demanding for mass dispellings in order to find the limit of information able to be transmitted.

Suffice to say, when he reached 50 dispels, he'd gained a massive headache. At 70 simultaneous dispels — which had left him feeling quite drained to begin with — he passed out.

_Then_ she wanted to find out at what point the transmission of information began to deteriorate, which brought on _another_ session of headache-inducing dispels. They eventually managed to pin the optimal simultaneous dispel number at about 23. Any more than that, and some of the information got lost in the process. Still, the Seal Master figured that if he just staggered the dispels, he'd be fine.

Unfortunately for Naruto, the Kage Bunshin's remarkable ability opened up a whole new world of pain as Takeshi, Natsu, _and_ Hikari now ordered him to train simultaneously with roughly two hundred clones, all of whom would have to train in basic combat forms and battle tactics until Naruto could iron out the kinks in his style.

As if things couldn't get any worse, Naruto had also had his daily ramen intake plummet as Amaya and Sora, who were in charge of his overall health as well as certain areas of studies, began buying ingredients from the market and making far more healthy foods. Tears streaming from his eyes, the blonde had more than once been forced to eat yucky veggies and seaweed, both of which he hated with a passion.

At least he wasn't alone in his suffering.

Having introduced Takeshi and Natsu to Ichiraku's Ramen, both boys had gotten hooked on the stuff, and were similarly outraged when Sora and Amaya had put their foot down and roped them into Naruto's new diet. Suffice to say, an immobilizing array from Maki and the threat of unleashing Hikari's wolf summons on their genitals had been enough to cow the two warriors.

It wasn't just Takeshi, Natsu, and Hikari abusing his clones, however. Sora, Amaya, and Maki (when she wasn't using him as her experimental guinea pig) all ordered him to use the Kage Bunshin when studying so as to speed up his studies. By the end of a period of a week and a half, under the express and impossibly strenuous work schedule the group had imposed on him, Naruto was _finally_ considered to be passable, at worst. Good, at best.

He still wouldn't get Rookie of the Year, nor was he considered a genius, but for once he wouldn't be the dead last of his class, which was more than enough for his trainers. For now, anyway.

On the other hand, they couldn't _wait_ till Kimiko and Keisuke got their hands on him. Hell, the evil grins, coupled with the malevolent cackling they gave him whenever the topic came up was enough to thoroughly unnerve him and develop performance anxiety.

Even though he knew they were family, Naruto couldn't help but start thinking perhaps he'd been better off alone...

* * *

><p>At the Western Gates of Konoha, Izumo and Kotetsu, the so-called gatekeepers of Konoha (for no other reason than the fact that their antics kept landing them that duty over and over again) stood half-asleep as the new day dawned on Konohagakure. Predictably, not much needed to be done for the two, since most of the registration process happened once <em>past<em> the gates. The gatekeepers, in truth, were merely there to provide armed support in case things got rowdy, or if an invasion happened and someone needed to hold back the enemy forces while the gates were shut.

Either way, it wasn't the most glamorous of jobs, and Izumo thoroughly blamed Kotetsu for landing them this gig over and over again.

The more stern of the duo was perhaps a fraction more awake than his companion, but even so, his rigid code of self-discipline forced him to maintain an alert facade, at the very least, due to his opinion that the first thing visitors to Konoha should see was the professionalism of its shinobi.

Unfortunately, Kotetsu disagreed.

Which made for an odd sight, really, as visitors arrived at the massive gates. On the one hand, a stiff, professional soldier, while on the other a sleeping, hunched over, snot-bubble forming layabout.

Honestly, was it a wonder the other shinobi countries considered Konoha a hippie village?

"Damnit, Kotetsu..." Izumo growled under his breath after the fifteenth time a pair of visitors laughed discreetly while pointing at his sleeping partner. Grabbing one of his patented Kotetsu awakening devices (read: a pebble), he discreetly flung it at his colleague, nailing him in the forehead.

"SONOFAB—!" said victim roared as he jerked awake.

"Pipe down," Izumo chastised his friend and bar hopping wingman. "And try not to embarrass yourself more than you already have," he grunted. "Honestly, a good shinobi...!" he started to rant, before realizing Kotetsu had fallen asleep again.

"Huhuhuhu..." Kotetsu was mumbling pervertedly in his sleep, causing a pair of cute girls walking into Konoha giggle. "Yesss...that's it...right there, Mistress Anko...I've been a _naughty_ _boy_..."

WHAM

Kotetsu was suddenly mumbling for a whole new reason as Izumo nailed him in the temple with his guard staff.

"STOP SLEEPING!" he roared, any of his own sleepiness now thoroughly banished and replaced by good old fashioned rage.

"Strange..." Kotetsu mumbled into the dirt. "...should I be tasting dirt?...oh, wait, there's the blood...owww..."

Izumo sighed as he watched his partner writhe in pain on the ground, ignoring the somewhat shocked and amused looks passerbys were throwing them. "See? Now people will be looking at us weirdly and reporting us to the Hokage for screwing around!" he accused Kotetsu, ignoring the fact that he was the one who'd given his friend a mild concussion. "I don't know about you, Ko, but I _hate_ guard duty. I _hate_ it!"

"...Sorry, what?" Kotetsu mumbled, his face still planted on the ground. "I was busy counting the spots I'm now seeing...oooo...pretty!"

Izumo sighed again, finding it oddly depressing that this one act of exasperation was quickly becoming his trademark habit — hell, he knew there were some amongst the Chunin ranks who'd begun calling him Sighing Izumo. Nevermind that the nickname _sucked_, it was also scarily accurate regarding his state of mind these days.

It was at that moment that something caught Izumo's eye. At first, he'd dismissed it as nothing, but grew more cautious as it became apparent that perhaps there was more to this than met the eye, especially considering the gait of some of them.

Namely, there was a large group of people coming towards the gate.

Normally, this wasn't a concern, seeing as how Konoha thrived on travelling merchants and immigrants. Nonetheless, this group was larger than what was usually seen, and was certainly not a trade caravan, given the lack of...well...wares.

At first glance, Izumo made out about seventy people within eyesight, but the cloud of dust that rose up subtly behind the group told him there were more he couldn't see.

"Oi, Kotetsu, enough playing around," he grunted at his comrade, who swiftly picked himself up and stood on guard, as if he hadn't just been beaned in the head by his friend's rather hard guard staff.

"Trouble?" the spiky-haired chunin asked cautiously.

"Dunno," Izumo admitted as they both tensed. "Get ready to call for reinforcements, though, just in case."

A grunt of acknowledgement answered him as the group neared the entrance. As they did, Izumo discerned various things from them.

First off, it was definitely not a trade caravan — there were no carts of goods to be sold — though he _could_ spy a few covered carts — and none of the travellers seemed to fit the part of wandering salesman, and those were pretty easy to recognize by their opulent taste in fashion.

Secondly, if this was an invasion force, it was a terrible attempt at doing so. Ignoring the fact that attacking one of the Five Villages head-on was fucking retarded (oh, how little those poor, unknowing fools knew...), the fact was that the casual and loud manner in which the group travelled simply smashed any chances of their approach being undetectable.

Still, there was something about how they were approaching the gate that made him uncomfortable, and from the looks of it, Kotetsu had picked up on it as well.

Simply put, it was in the way they walked.

Years of active ninja duty had taught Izumo that civilians and trained warriors walked differently. Civilians, who rarely, if ever, needed to be cautious about the loudness of their footsteps or the ability to slide into a battle stance, tended to walk heavily, usually going heel first and so forth.

Warriors, however, were the complete opposite.

Needing to be constantly ready to fight at any given moment, warriors trained themselves to advance either with a solid, flat gait, or with a slide in their step, usually causing the toes to land first and then the heel. Various schools of the warrior arts asserted various reasons for the different way of walking they espoused, but all of them transmitted a visual tell for any trained warrior to observe if they were supposed to detect enemy agents.

And tellingly, _all_ of the approaching crowd had the warrior's step.

Making subtle signs to the guardsmen he knew were watching from the battlements at the top of the massive wall, Izumo readied his free hand to make the appropriate signal for the guardsmen to shut the gate and alert the village's entire military force. At the same time, he shared a glance with Kotetsu and then advanced a few steps, soon joined by his friend.

Together, they lowered their staff-holding arm horizontally ever so slightly so as to cross the two weapons in a poor, but obviously quite symbolic gesture of impediment.

"Halt!" Izumo ordered the group as they came within twenty feet of the pair. "Please state your names and intentions," he stated seriously, half ready to break out into a battle stance if challenged. Fortunately, he'd kept his Kunai Blade stored in a paper seal he kept handy at all times. Embarrassingly, he also kept Kotetsu's.

To his utter confusion, however, the group didn't seem the least bit intimidated, or even annoyed by his and Kotetsu's presence. In fact, some of them seemed to exchanging ryo bills and grumbling, while others cackled in glee at their newly gained wealth.

"Told you they'd freak out," one of the men mumbled to the other, who simply grumbled and glared at the two guards for making him lose money.

"Oi, what the hell's the damn holdup?" a deep, growling voice broke through Izumo and Kotetsu's shock at the casual manner in which the group was acting. Practically springing apart, the group let through a tall, blond teen with a lightning bolt scar over his left eye, followed shortly by a teenage girl with blood red hair wearing a rather fearsome looking yoroi chestplate inscribed with a familiar swirl over her heart.

"Raiden..." Izumo heard several mumble the name as they glanced at him with equal parts respect and fear. Apparently, despite his age, he was one to be wary of. Judging from the looks people were giving the redhead, though, he was more than willing to bet she qualified under that category too.

"Kimiko, Raiden, stand down," grumbled an old voice, and to Izumo's surprise, the two did exactly that, sliding out of their battle ready stances and moving apart to let through...

...a diminutive old man.

Izumo blinked once. Then twice to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

Nope, still there.

Walking towards them was a tiny old man who seemed quite at ease with the situation around him, his outfit a standard black shinobi uniform with sleeveless flak jacket. All in all, what seemed to be a standard Chunin/Jonin outfit in Konoha.

With one exception.

Where Konoha's flak jackets held two large pouches on the front, this one had nearly six, which seemed a bit much in the Konoha Chunin's opinion. Nonetheless, it was a clear sign that these were outsiders.

"Please state your name and intentions," Izumo demanded sternly once more. Outnumbered or not, he would still cling to protocol.

The old man gazed up at him curiously before cupping his chin in confusion. "Hmmm...?" he mused. "Didn't those brats hand in my letter?"

Izumo and Kotetsu's unyielding stare soon had Kimiko sigh out loud and Raiden smack his face in exasperation. Behind them, the crowd began to chuckle amongst themselves. "I knew it..." groaned the blond teen.

"It was too much to hope that Natsu and the rest would remember..." Kimiko agreed.

"Oi, Hikari-chan's the one in charge, not Natsu," another teen spoke up as he pushed himself to the front. "She's not so dull as that."

"Wait, did you say Natsu?" Kotetsu spoke up, a flash of recognition passing through his face. Turning his head towards his friend, while still keeping the crowd within peripheral eyesight, Kotetsu addressed Izumo. "Wasn't that the guy who landed a bunch of chunin in the hospital during the...you-know-what incident?" he euphemistically reminded his friend, uncomfortable with releasing sensitive information in front of strangers.

"Now that you mention it..." Izumo agreed, eyeing the strangers. To his surprise, all of them seem to sigh in exasperation. "I take it it's the same guy?"

"Pink hair? Black vest? Wears a scarf?" listed off Raiden, only to deadpan as the two guards nodded. "Yeah, that's the idiot alright," he confirmed before eyeing the black haired teen. "I thought you were joking about that."

Said teen shrugged. "You should've known better."

The diminutive man then coughed, bringing Izumo's attention back to him. "Anyway, if everything panned out, your boss should know we were coming," he told them before slowly forming a grin. "If not, please let that old monkey know that Uzushiogakure's Uzumaki Clan has arrived."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Post-AN: Nothing much to say here. Hope the chapter's to your liking.<em>**

**Glossary:**

**Daio - Great King/The Great**

**_December 13, 2013 Update: Chapter has been revised._  
><strong>

Names (Fairy Tail Homologue)

**Keisuke** (Makarov) - Uzumaki Clan Elder  
><strong>Raiden<strong> (Laxus) - Uzumaki Clansman, Grandson of Keisuke  
><strong>Akemi<strong> (Mirajane) - Uzumaki Clansman, First degree cousin of Raiden, older sister of Daisuke and Miyuki  
><strong>Daisuke<strong> (Elfman) - Uzumaki Clansman, younger brother of Akemi, older brother of Lisanna  
><strong>Miyuki<strong> (Lisanna) - Uzumaki Clansman, younger sister of Akemi and Daisuke  
><strong>Eiji<strong> (Fried) - Uzumaki Clansman, first degree cousin of Raiden and Akemi/Daisuke/Miyuki  
><strong>Yuki<strong> (Gray) - Uzumaki Clansman by marriage (stepson of Uzumaki Nana)  
><strong>Kimiko<strong> (Erza) - Uzumaki Clansman, second degree cousin of Raiden  
><strong>Hiroki<strong> (Gildarts) - Uzumaki Clansman, nephew of Keisuke  
><strong>Nobuko<strong> (Cana) - Uzumaki Clansman, daughter of Hiroki  
><strong>Takeshi<strong> (Gajeel) - Uzumaki Clansman  
><strong>Natsu<strong> (Natsu) - Uzumaki Clansman  
><strong>Hikari<strong> (Lucy) - Uzumaki Clansman, first degree cousin of Nobuko and Amaya  
><strong>Amaya<strong> (Juvia) - Uzumaki Clansman  
><strong>Sora<strong> (Wendy) - Uzumaki Clansman, third degree cousin of Natsu and Takeshi  
><strong>Maki<strong> (Levy) - Uzumaki Clansman, fourth degree cousin of Eiji, sixth degree cousin of Takeshi


	5. Lost Clan Arc: The Uzumaki Clan

**_AN: Sorry for the delay - Carnavales got in the way. For those of you from my fellow Latin countries, I imagine that needs no further explanation. For everyone else - it's basically Spring Break on meth. Over five days of non-stop parties, water tankers spraying you, booze, and anything else that we might be crazy or drunk enough to think up of._**

_**That said, I think it's time for another reminder to a certain part of this story's audience: The Uzumaki will not be jumping ship from Konoha. They will not be snatch-and-grabbing Naruto. They will not do these two things because it would be IMMENSELY retarded of them to even try.**_

_**Yes, a -small- team of the Uzumaki did manage to penetrate the village's wards. Why? Three reasons: 1) they had some of the clan's finest seal masters with them; and 2) they weren't being looked for; and 3) they were a -small- team. It's one thing to send in a team of ten shinobi expertly trained at infiltration; it's quite another to send over twenty without being detected.**_

_**Furthermore, even remotely considering that they'd do something like that would logically lead to a zero-sum game situation for the Uzumaki. If Konoha ever found out (and at this point they -know-) that the Uzumaki still existed and Naruto disappeared, then their one and only possible ally in the Shinobi world would turn on them, leaving them completely isolated. Furthermore, their age-old enemies in Mizugakure and Kumogakure would shit a brick and possibly start a continent-wide manhunt just to exterminate and/or capture them for their techniques. While the Uzumaki have been good at hiding so far, let's not conveniently forget that this was partly due to the fact that everyone -assumed- they had -all- died. Take that away and the Uzumaki would have to become nomads constantly looking over their shoulders and trusting no one. Establishing Uzushio again would be even more stupid, as that would just give the Shinobi world a massive bullseye to gun for. Yeah, they were feared by the Shinobi world at one point, but at that time (in this story) they numbered in the thousands. With a couple hundred left, standing up against the world would be suicidal.**_

_**So again, this isn't a "Naruto abandons Konoha for their treatment against him and becomes Supreme Overlord via Uzushio" story.**_

**_For the rest of you who haven't been expecting such a thing, all I can say is enjoy the chapter :)_**

**_-MB_**

* * *

><p>If anyone had told the Sandaime that he'd one day be sitting down with part of the Elders of the Uzumaki Clan over sake in his office, he'd have had that person institutionalized on the spot.<p>

Yet, here they _both_ were (well...sort of; one of them had excused herself to stay with the rest to make sure they didn't get into trouble), in his office, sharing a cup of sake as the rest of the clan remnants waited either at the anteroom, the hallway, the library, or outside the building, seeing as how there wasn't nearly enough space to hold the Uzumaki numbers.

For a dead clan, there sure seemed to be a whole lot of them.

"I still can't believe that after all these years, so many of you managed to escape the destruction of Uzu," Hiruzen spoke grimly before drinking from his cup, having figured he'd need the liquid courage for this meeting. Boy, had he nailed that call.

"So many?" Keisuke mused just as grimly. "So little, you must mean. Uzushiogakure had many clans, but most of them were kin to the Uzumaki by marriage. Very few of us escaped," he corrected. "What you see outside is roughly half of the survivors of Uzu."

"That's still quite significant, Uzumaki-san," Hiruzen pointed out. "The Hyūga, the most numerous of our clans, numbers maybe a little more than half of your survivors at most."

"The Hyūga weren't a country unto themselves," Keisuke riposted as he stared down at his cup forlornly. Even as he spoke, he could still see so many faces of deceased loved ones. Too many... "It was fortunate any of us escaped the Great Destruction."

Hiruzen, seeing how the conversation was affecting his fellow aged shinobi, decided not to press the point. Nonetheless, the two _did_ have something to discuss. "Your advance guard made quite the impression here a couple of weeks ago," Hiruzen switched tracks, offering the man an amused smile. "Put over a hundred of my men out of commission for the night."

That did the trick, as Keisuke snorted before gulping down his cup in one go. "Yeah, Yuki told me," he said. "Morons had no self control."

"To be fair, they were stopping a mob from lynching a small boy."

"Right, about that..." Keisuke's expression grew dark, causing Hiruzen to stiffen. "I trust it's been made clear that any further assaults on our Clan Head will be met with vicious retaliation?" he stated more than asked.

Hiruzen eyed the elder calmly and quietly for a moment. "No," he replied calmly, and just before Keisuke could explode with anger, he put up a halting hand. "Calm down. There's a reason for that."

"What reason could there be to leave that boy out of his family's protection?!" demanded Keisuke.

"You are not a clan of Konoha," Hiruzen pointed out as he folded his hands on his lap. "You have no authority here, either as a clan, or even as individuals. If you wish to exercise either, you must first become part of the village your clansman is part of."

"That's not much of an issue," Keisuke growled, though his anger seemed to lessen. "It was part of our plans to begin with."

"Oh? But there _are_ issues to that," Hiruzen remarked. "If Konoha admits your clan to our ranks, what would happen to your enemies?" he asked. "Kiri, Kumo, Iwa, Umi...these four nations unbelievably joined forces to erase your home from the map — an unprecedented and unrepeated event, and three of these now make up three fifths of the Great Shinobi Villages. Konoha can scarcely afford having three of the world's major powers aiming for it."

Hiruzen hadn't wanted to play this card, but after having come down from his high at being the Hokage to preside over the resurgence of the Uzumaki clan, he'd begun to realize the drawbacks that having the seal masters around could bring Konoha.

Keisuke, for his part, couldn't fault the Hokage for pointing this out. Any village that claimed the Uzumaki amongst their numbers could soon face the combined fear and hatred of the alliance that had destroyed Uzushiogakure. "Are you saying you will not allow us residence in Konoha?" he asked seriously.

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "Not at all," he answered smoothly. "I'm just asking a question. If the Uzumaki join Konoha, what could you offer us that would offset the horrible possibility of a Fourth Ninja War erupting?"

Ah, negotiation.

Keisuke was all too familiar with this game. He'd had to play it with the other Elders at their latest meeting, and all of his life before the fall of Uzu, and even so only one had sided with him. The other two elders had, for all intents and purposes, given up hope on reforging the clan, and were not convinced with Keisuke's guarantees regarding the new Clan Head. It was far from a lost cause, but Keisuke knew that the Clan Head would have to personally seek them out and prove himself to them before the family could be truly reunited.

The question the Hokage posed, however, had merit. What could the Uzumaki offer Konoha? Naturally, sharing the clan's most prized Fūin techniques was out of the question — he knew, for instance, that the Hyuuga never shared a damn thing of theirs with the village, and he wasn't going to be the only one bending over backwards to please the leadership of the village. The Uzumaki weren't lapdogs of anyone!

"Manpower, I suppose, would be the best answer," Keisuke stated. "Our clan may have been diminished in size, but not in power. With the few that have decided to follow me here, I bring you medics, seal masters, summoning specialists, interrogators, torturers, combat specialists of every kind...Konoha's military strength would rise considerably with us around."

"I should expect so," Hiruzen agreed as he lit his pipe. "Yet, what else? Considerable rise in military strength or not, this would hardly put us on par with three of the world's greatest military powers."

Keisuke knew the Hokage wanted something, but couldn't figure out what. Narrowing his eyes, Keisuke decided to call the man out on it. "What do you want?" he asked bluntly.

Hiruzen smiled, finally getting to the point. "I have no doubts in my ninjas' Will of Fire," he stated as he placed his pipe in his mouth. "All of them would gladly fight to the bitter end to protect their homes and comrades, as would I. However, there's no harm in tipping the scales a little," he said, smirking as he thought of his colleague in Iwa, "by offering our side a boost, is there?"

"No, there isn't," Keisuke agreed warily.

"So here's what I propose," Hiruzen continued. "In exchange for full citizenship, clan status, and lands on which to build your home, the Uzumaki clan will aid our Sensor and Interception Division in strengthening the detection barrier and providing backup for the Interception team, as well as develop new proprietary seals that would aid in their labors. If anything, your infiltration team managed to point out how woefully ineffective our barriers have become, if one had a mind to it, and I would appreciate it if you would give thought to supplying a teacher of basic Fūinjutsu for our academy, as it is a dying art here," he stated. "We would also gladly welcome your efforts in strengthening our walls and gates with those remarkable seals of yours, and any cooperation you can give to the hospital, of course," he said with a smile.

Keisuke had years to practice not showing overt relief or anger in the midst of negotiations. Thus, when he heard the terms proposed, it was all he could do not to sigh in relief. As terms went, these were well within reasonable, and in no cases was in mentioned that the Uzumaki had to give up their precious techniques.

"This is...acceptable to us," he stated, knowing his sole counterpart dealing with the clansmen outside would concur.

Hiruzen smiled genuinely as the negotiations finalized, opening a drawer and picking up a sheet of paper. "Excellent," he said with a grin as he placed the paper on his desk and brought out his personal seal. "Then may this be the beginning of a wonderful new chapter in the relationship between Konoha and the Uzumaki Clan." He declared before stamping it, showing to Keisuke he'd already had everything set up for the Uzumaki's ingression into Konoha's ranks.

* * *

><p>Naruto was freaking out.<p>

When he'd awoken that morning, having gotten used to Hikari's insane training schedule, he'd half-expected his kinsmen to burst into his room and drag him to the training field. When they hadn't after a few minutes, Naruto had frowned, wondering if something was up. Or worse...what if they were setting him up for another prank? He didn't think he could handle being Maki's experimental test dummy for much longer!

Slowly working himself up into a mild hysteria, this feeling was only compounded when he marched out of his room and found the group stonily silent in his living room.

Staring around, he'd asked, half expecting them to jump him, "What's up? You all look like someone died."

Maki flinched at that, Sora sniffled a bit, Amaya put a comforting hand on Sora's shoulder, and the two boys glared at him. Only Hikari, who was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, seemed to have it together enough to answer him. Sighing and pushing herself off the wall, she still didn't make eye contact with him.

"Someone did," she told him. "A clansman."

The words pierced Naruto's heart more than he thought it would. Having never had family before, he'd nonetheless connected with the group extraordinarily fast. Still, given the small amount of time he'd been around them, he'd half expected to feel a little detached from their problems.

Experience taught him otherwise.

"What?" he breathed. "Who?!"

"No one you knew..." Takeshi mumbled as he leaned forward and stared at the floor.

"Honoka," Hikari supplied, ignoring Takeshi's rudeness. "Uzumaki Honoka. She was killed on mission."

"Honoka-nee..." Sora wept quietly, Amaya's comforting gestures sadly doing nothing to alleviate the girl's sadness. Maki, too, could be heard sniffing.

"Yuki came by to tell us," Hikari continued through Sora's sobs. "She died a week ago. Another name for the tablet..."

Natsu growled at that and quickly left the room, causing Naruto to look after him confusedly. "What's wrong with Natsu?" he asked.

"His parents are on the memorial tablet, too," Takeshi spoke up. "He gets like that every time it's brought up."

Hikari sighed again. "Anyway, the Clan's arrived," she told Naruto. "Keisuke-Choro is meeting the Hokage, but it should be over soon. You should get ready," she told her future Clan Head. "Anything you want to take to your new home, you better bring it, too. This place is too small for all of us."

Naruto blinked a few times before a smile grew from cheek to cheek. "They're...here?" he asked, his previous sadness quickly evaporating. "My...family...is here?"

Despite the tragic news Yuki had given them, Hikari couldn't help the smile that blossomed on her face as she watched the blond react with genuine happiness at the news. Looking at her clansmen, she saw that they, too, seemed cheered up by his mood shift. "Yeah...so go get ready, already!" she snapped, reverting to her usual drillmaster personality and pointing at him. "Honestly! Do you _want_ your first meeting with the Clan to be in your pajamas?!"

"Eep!" Naruto squeaked before dashing back into his room, the tension in the room effectively shattered and replaced with good natured chuckles.

Naruto wouldn't admit it, but it'd pained him to see his family members suffer so much at the news of a fellow clansman's death. He'd only spent with them two weeks, but in that time he'd gotten to know them and already treasured them. He knew Hikari was only acting the part she was most comfortable with, and that Takeshi was rude to everyone, but both were well meaning.

Sora had a beautiful heart incapable of hating others, Maki was a little crazy but extremely protective, Amaya was a little aloof, but caring; and Natsu was an idiot but strong and fiercely loyal. Yet, in that instant where he'd walked in on their grieving, none of them had appeared as the clansmen he'd come to know, and it scared him.

Was this what it meant to have filial bonds? Would he, too, react that way to the death of a clansman? Up till this point, he'd only ever seen others grieve, but as he had nothing to begin with, he had never experienced it himself.

He suppose the closest he'd gotten to that point was when Iruka had nearly died at the hands of Mizuki, but even so, his teacher had gotten better, and so had Naruto as a result.

Suddenly, getting a family seemed a lot more scary than he'd thought possible.

And just as quickly, Naruto crushed those feelings of fear. Family was family; it was the one thing he'd wished for so long, and he wouldn't now let those bonds slip from his grasp. If it came with having to experience such scary feelings, he'd weather it, just as he weathered thirteen years of loneliness.

In fact...he would give it his all to gain the respect of his clan, and protect each and every one of them so they'd never have to grieve again!

It was a childish promise, without a doubt, but it was sufficient to give Naruto newfound willpower as he suddenly broke into a mad dash and began packing whatever he considered valuable (which wasn't much, since he rarely if ever got the chance to acquire personal effects).

"Oi, what the hell's that racket?!" he heard Hikari yell from the living room.

* * *

><p>There was no Uzumaki clan compound. Yet.<p>

Nonetheless, when the group, plus Naruto, arrived at the spot of land the Hokage (discreetly, of course; the Mizuki incident hadn't had a chance to blow over just yet, so the Sandaime had wisely decided to minimize Naruto's public presence until it did) had deemed fit for their use, they could already see various tents pitched up and a few construction scaffolds here and there where they assumed the first few buildings would be set up.

To Naruto, even if there was no sprawl of buildings to await him, the experience was amazing nonetheless.

As his escorts and he approached the open field, he saw many figures walking to and fro carrying building materials or kids running around playing games, and the sight made him smile eagerly. These were his clansmen, his family. He'd once had the displeasure of coming across a bunch of Hyuuga in town, and he'd always thought the big clans like them would act prissy and uptight, but his family shattered that image into itty bitty pieces. If anything, they were more like what Choji, Kiba, and Shikamaru told him their families were like.

And he loved it.

"Oi!" Natsu called out with a wide grin, his earlier grieving all but forgotten as he waved wildly at his clansmen. "We're back!"

A few of the older men who were working on a construction scaffold turned to see who was shouting at them and grinned back at the approaching group. "Hey, Natsu's back with the others!" one of them called out, quickly snowballing into a chorus of similar shouts and approaching clansmen coming to greet them.

After all, there wasn't a person in the Uzumaki clan who didn't know the group's mission. Their return thus meant only one thing.

"Check it out, it's the Clan Head!" a shout went up as the clansmen gathered with impressive speed and disorganization until the group was all but surrounded by avid clansmen.

While Naruto was somewhat taken aback by this sudden onrush of _positive_-minded people (being that his typical run-in with such a large crowd tended to result in beatings or insult-throwing), Natsu and the rest of the group were having a blast. The pink-haired boy was bumping forearms with an older man who was grinning toothily at the boy, while Maki and Amaya were happily chatting away with some of the older and similar-aged girls. Sora was blushing under the praise of numerous clansmen, while Hikari and Takeshi simply basked under the attention they were receiving.

"So this is the new Clan Head?" he heard one of the men asked, causing serious performance anxiety to rise up in Naruto. Would they accept him? Would they even so much as _like_ him? He was so close to having his family back...he was utterly _terrified_ of losing them!

Natsu answered by resting an arm on Naruto's head, much to his irritation the pink-haired boy's amusement. "Damn straight!" he confirmed. "He's a brat, but he's got what it takes, I think!"

"_There's_ a scary thought!" another clansman shouted, eliciting both laughter from the rest of the clan and a throbbing vein on Natsu's forehead.

"WHAT WAS THAT, ASSHOLE?!" the pink-haired fighting wonder roared.

"Tch...so loud..." Amaya clicked her tongue in well-worn annoyance. "Where could Yuki-kun be...?"

"P-Please don't start any fights, Natsu-nii..." Sora was all but begging the Second Dragon. A futile attempt, but she couldn't _not_ try.

"A fight, eh?" Takeshi mused with a growing grin. "Sounds good! Who wants a piece?!" he challenged.

"Here we go again..." Hikari sighed in exasperation, smacking her forehead.

"What's that? A fight?" someone called. "I'm in!"

"Bring it on!" another yelled.

"I'LL TAKE YOU ALL ON!" Natsu roared above all others.

Inevitably, a punch was soon thrown, and a person was soon hit, and just as quickly as the crowd had approached the group to welcome them back, the whole thing descended into one massive fight, with only Naruto, Hikari, and Sora not joining in; to note, however, the only reason they weren't was because Naruto was a little taken aback at the sudden onset of violence, Hikari knew someone had to explain things, and Sora just didn't like fighting.

Even Maki was involved, much to Naruto's surprise.

"Oi...is this...normal?" Naruto asked Hikari, pointing at the ongoing fighting while sweatdropping.

"Unfortunately..." Hikari confirmed.

"P-Please s-stop fighting, everyone!" Sora was futilely trying to calm things down.

"Consider it a family tradition," Hikari told Naruto, ignoring the fourteen-year-old girl's attempts at defusing the situation. "Some clans like performance arts, some enjoy eating, some enjoy writing. We like fighting...well, most of us do," she amended as she eyed Sora.

Naruto tried to wrap his head around that idea...the idea of a family tradition, that is. He'd never had one before, but he knew Choji, Shikamaru, and Kiba all talked of some activities their families enjoyed doing together.

So...this was his?

Eyeing the fighting going around, he couldn't help but note that, as Hikari had said, none of them seemed to be fighting with any malice in mind. He even saw some goofy fights going around, and no one seemed to be bothered by the rampant violence!

That was when Naruto felt something odd rise in him. Nothing bad, really, just a feeling of being left out.

A grin began forming on his face as he drew up his hands to form a familiar hand seal. Eyeing it, Hikari sweatdropped as she guessed where this was going.

"Oi, oi..." she mumbled, taking a few steps away from the blonde.

"_Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" Naruto yelled, with suddenly dozens of clones appearing throughout the impromptu battlefield. "Let's get this party started!" he yelled with gleeful abandon, throwing himself into the fight.

"Somehow, I knew he'd do that," Hikari groaned to herself as she watched the new Clan Head and his clone army take on any challengers. While momentarily surprised by the sudden addition to the anarchic fighting, the clones and Naruto were soon welcomed with open arms...err...fists.

Standing there in the sole island of tranquility amongst the sea of mish-mashed fighting, Hikari and Sora didn't have to wait long before a rather familiar voice broke up the fighting with a single sentence.

"What the _hell_ is going on here?!"

Predictably, the fighting screeched to a halt as Kimiko's voice cut through the din. Only Naruto still tried to keep going, but was quickly subdued by a nearby Natsu, who'd paled quickly upon hearing the voice of the feared disciplinarian of the Uzumaki clan.

Standing before them in what seemed to be an orange construction jumpsuit, complete with hard hat (which in turn caused mass sweatdrops), Kimiko was hauling on her shoulder an impressive load of wooden beams while glaring at the crowd. "You all think this compound is going to build itself? Enough playing around! Get to work!" she barked.

The crowd wasted no time in complying with the redhead's orders, far too afraid to cross her. As they did, however, said disciplinarian noticed three people who hadn't moved — a gutsy move, by all accounts. Upon squinting, she recognized Sora and Hikari, both of whom had gone to flank a young, blond boy wearing a grey shirt and black pants with sets of three whisker-like scars on his cheeks.

"Eh? Visitors already?" she asked calmly as she approached the trio. "Hikari, Sora, who's your friend? You know we're not receiving guests yet."

Well...no one had ever accused Kimiko to be quick on the uptake whenever non-fighting topics came up.

Hikari nodded humbly — something that shocked Naruto, who'd never seen her act so defferentially in the short time they'd lived together — as she clasped a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I'm here escorting our mission target to Keisuke-choro," she explained, her head bowed in respect.

Kimiko's eyes widened a fraction as she immediately realized Hikari's meaning. "You mean...this boy is...?" she asked, having never gotten to participate in the scouting mission that had led to this whole situation.

Hikari nodded, while Sora smiled toothily. "If Keisuke-choro approves of his claim, he will become the next Clan Head candidate."

* * *

><p>Of course, things weren't that simple.<p>

"So this is him?" mused Heiyako, the other Clan Elder, as she inspected the young blonde, her long, faded red hair swaying gently as she rocked herself side to side impatiently. Long, elegant lines gave her face a dignified, matronly look. "A little young, isn't he?"

Keisuke sighed as he blew out some smoke from his pipe, also giving the boy a once-over. "I did tell you at the meeting," he reminded his counterpart.

"I thought you were exaggerating."

The two elders fell silent at that as they observed the fidgeting blond boy, who seemed uneasy at having to sit still on the grass, since there was no Clan Temple yet to hold the meeting.

"Best get this started then," Heiyako opined, garnering an approving nod from Keisuke. "No sense keeping everyone in suspense."

Keisuke eyed the small army of Uzumaki clansmen who were all kneeling in perfect formation behind the blond boy, with the older and more skilled of their numbers sitting at the front. Seeing them gathered there made Keisuke smile, as many of them were acting quite out of character.

Kimiko, usually the straight-laced disciplinarian, was practically fidgeting on her knees, her fists clenched and her eyes wide. Next to her, Raiden actually seemed interested in the proceedings, while Akemi, to his right, seemed more serious than anyone could remember the lovable young woman being. Even Natsu and Takeshi, the two battle-happy morons, were unusually quiet and serious.

For his part, Naruto was really wishing this hadn't an audience. It was tough enough having to meet these two old timers, both of whom, if he recalled correctly from Kimiko and Hikari's earlier conversation, could determine the path his fate would take him; he now also had to deal with performance anxiety! What if he screwed up? What if they hated him? Hell, what if they found out about the Kyūbi and shunned him like the village had? He didn't think he could deal with more rejection, especially from those who were his family!

"Let's begin," Keisuke announced, causing Naruto to tense up. Little did he know, but his gesture was replicated by nearly every Uzumaki clansman behind him. "Maki-chan, please take record of the meeting."

The red-haired Fūin specialist nodded as she got up from her place amongst the clansmen and walked over to the side of the meeting, quickly summoning a scroll and some writing tools.

"Meeting for the establishment of the legitimacy of the claimant's status as an Uzumaki clansman," Heiyako droned out, the old protocols hammered into her head in her youth still going strong. "Presiding, Uzumaki Keisuke, Elder; Uzumaki Heiyako, Elder. With half of the Elders present, quorum is achieved," she announced, not even bothering to check if Maki was following, - which she was, incidentally.

As this bureaucratic process occurred, Naruto swore he could hear snoring coming from behind him. The temptation to look back and confirm was great, but something told him he'd get in trouble if he did.

Either way, a resounding smack was soon heard, followed by a yelp of pain and some muffled chuckles.

"First order of business," Keisuke grunted as he sucked on his pipe, his eyes never once faltering from their gaze on the blond boy. "Your name?"

Naruto took a moment to realize they were finally addressing him, but quickly stammered out a response. "N-Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."

"Maelstrom...a good name," Heiyako commented to herself, though Maki wrote it down anyway.

"Where were you born, Naruto?" the female elder then asked, maintaining her posture and image of a stern clan elder, which horribly clashed with Keisuke's nearly casual, cross-legged pose.

"Here. Konohagakure, I mean," Naruto quickly amended, figuring they wouldn't want such ambiguous answers. Ordinarily, Iruka would've had to pretty much threaten him with chores and no ramen for a month for Naruto to answer so carefully and obediently, but the blond wanted his family back so much he would've fought all nine Bijū with a roll of toilet paper and sheer dumb luck if they asked it of him.

Keisuke nodded. "Parents?" he asked promptly.

Naruto looked down. "I...don't know. I've been an orphan all my life," he admitted, a little ashamed of that.

Heiyako and Keisuke exchanged glances. "It holds up on that end, at least," Keisuke mused to his colleague.

"What about your family name?" asked Heiyako as she refocused on the boy. "How do you know it if you don't know your parents?"

Naruto blinked before thinking hard — a feat in itself. "The old ma — I mean, Hokage-sama said it was on the birthday...thing. You know, the one where it says when and where I was born?" he prompted, forgetting the term.

"Birth certificate," Maki supplied demurely, earning a nod of thanks from Naruto.

"Yeah, that!" he confirmed.

There was a pause then, before Keisuke tapped his knee with his pipe to clear some blockage. Next to him, Heiyako folded her hands on her lap and gazed at Naruto steadily. "Are you, in fact, the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Yōko?" she asked bluntly.

Naruto felt his innards freeze up at the question. They knew. THEY KNEW?!

All at once, every bit of insecurity that had begun assaulting his mind since the Mizuki affair came at him with the force of a thousand explosive tags. This was it. This was when they would shun him forever, and he'd return to being alone! No, he couldn't handle this...why again? Why did it have to be _him_?!

He was just about to bolt to grieve alone in his self-induced state of pessimistic desperation when Keisuke grunted.

"It appears so. Just like his mother."

Seven words.

Seven words that froze Naruto in place, the tears only barely forming in his eyes. Had he heard right?

"W-What?" he stammered out.

"Based on what you've told us, you are the son of Uzumaki Kushina," Keisuke explained idly as he sucked on his pipe. "The second Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi."

"It makes sense," Heiyako nodded in agreement. "Jinchuuriki are always, even if by coincidence, chosen due to their closeness to the Kage; in our case, our close lineage to the Senju and their Will of Fire. Lady Mito and Senju Hashirama. Kushina and Sarutobi Hiruzen, Hashirama and Tobirama's pupil..."

"Meaning you are probably also Namikaze Minato's son," Keisuke concluded before thoughtfully adding, "So, Kushina and he really _were_ serious..."

"W-Wait a second!" Naruto cried out, suddenly on one knee and about ready to charge the Elders. "Y-You're screwing with me, right? Me? Namikaze's son?!" he all but shrieked.

"Is that so hard to believe?" Keisuke asked, bored.

Naruto's answer was to point at the distant Hokage monument. "You're damn right it's hard to believe, old man!" Naruto cried out, a tinge of desperation quickly making itself known in his tone. "Namikaze was the _fucking Yondaime_! The guy who beat the Kyūbi and sentenced _me_ to a living hell!"

"That's one way to look at it," Heiyako agreed, seemingly indifferent at the boy's cussing. Then again, being an Elder of the Uzumaki, she'd had to deal with much worse.

"What other way is there?!" Naruto demanded, tears streaming as he began to think this was just some giant prank being pulled on him.

"He believed in you so much he trusted you, a mere newborn, to safely imprison the Kyūbi, the most powerful Bijū in existence, the one Bijū all others fear, till the day you die," Keisuke supplied, freezing the blond in his tracks. "As fathers usually do," he added as he eyed Raiden, who looked away from meeting his grandfather's gaze.

"I..." Naruto was, for the first time ever, at a loss for words. He had not witty comeback to that. No challenge or denial. To be honest, Keisuke's words served to vaporize much, if not all of the resentment he'd felt bubbling inside him towards the Yondaime for sentencing him to suffer. "I'm...the Yondaime's son?" he asked, still shellshocked.

"Most likely, yes," Keisuke confirmed with a nod of his head before eyeing Heiyako and giving her a nod as well.

Heiyako, meanwhile, turned towards Maki. "We Elders recognize the claimant's status as Uzumaki Clansman," she informed the girl, who quickly wrote that down before passing the scroll to the Elders.

In short order, the two Elders quickly stamped their personal seals on the scroll where Maki had placed a mark, thereby legitimizing the document.

Keisuke smiled warmly at the boy, who was still processing this deluge of information. "Welcome to the Clan, my boy."

Cheers soon exploded from the crowd of gathered clansmen behind him.

* * *

><p>Naruto had to admit...his family sure knew how to party.<p>

Even the lack of a roof and four walls had not prevented the Uzumaki from launching a full scale celebration of his integration into the family. An open pit barbecue was set up, the more musically inclined members of the clan had unsealed their instruments and played several traditional Whirlpool songs, dancers danced away to entertain the clan...

In all honesty, Naruto had never once dared to dream being able to participate in something like this.

Amidst the shouting, the laughing, and the total lack of any sort of inhibition, Naruto felt more at home than anywhere else he'd been during his short life.

Even more amazingly, he'd been seated in between Keisuke and Heiyako, at the place of highest honor. To his glee, they were nothing like what he'd assumed during his interview. They weren't uptight or severe; in fact, Keisuke was already smashed and dancing with the dancers drunkenly, to the roaring laughter of the clan.

Heiyako, for her part, chatted away happily with nearby clansmen, sometimes pausing to answer some of his questions or introduce clan members who drew near to congratulate him.

"Oh, that's Hiroki, Nobuko-chan's father," she pointed out to another clansman who'd joined Keisuke's drunken dance while laughing like an idiot. "He's a very strong member of the clan."

"He's also an idiot," opined another member, grinning as he clapped along with the other clansmen at the drunken duo's performance amidst the professional dancers.

To Naruto's surprise, Heiyako merely sighed and nodded. "Unfortunately so..."

More introductions soon followed, most of them quite normal.

"Oh, and that's Jinpachi, he owns the clan's candy shop..."

"WE HAVE A CANDY SHOP?!" Naruto had all but roared, stars in his eyes.

"HA! Told you he'd love that!" cried out said store owner as he pocketed the money he was reluctantly given by those who'd bet against him.

"Oh, Hiruko-kun here is a very good tailor. Most of our uniforms come from him."

Said middle-aged artisan smiled at Naruto and bowed to him. "Anytime you wish for some clothes, please seek me out, Naruto-sama," he offered humbly. "Clansmen need not pay."

"Oh, that's Akemi-chan, she's one of our finest shinobi," Heiyako told Naruto as she pointed a redheaded girl who'd joined Hiroki and Keisuke in their silly dance. Unlike them, however, she was stone cold sober, and was seemingly doing so just for the kicks.

"Junichi works as one of our shinobi trainers..."

"Yuu-kun actually serves as one of our clan messengers, you know. He's quite good at travelling long distances quickly!"

"Yomi-chan owns the our clan commissary...err...restaurant," the elder had to amend, seeing the clueless expression on the boy's face. "It's quite good food."

"Is there ramen?" Naruto asked directly, his mouth watering from the prospect.

Yomi chuckled mirthfully. "Of course. We can make any type of ramen you want...provided we have the ingredients of course," she assured him.

Naruto didn't hear that part, however, given that he was too busy kneeling on the ground and throwing his hands up like some sort of deranged survivor who'd just seen a rescue party finally come for him.

It was a testament to the clan's habit of having weird people in it that none of these antics fazed them much. If anything, Naruto's comical reactions to the various introductions and miscellaneous facts about the clan merely served to add to the joyful atmosphere.

Of course...since this _was_ the Uzumaki clan one is talking about, eventually someone accidentally punched another in the face.

Then that person punched back.

Soon, a small fight erupted, which just got much bigger as someone accidentally bumped into Kimiko, making her drop her cake.

Kimiko was not pleased.

Within five minutes, the small fistfight had snowballed into an all out, all-encompassing brawl. Even the dancers joined in as they threw punches and kicks or grabbed tableware as weapons, all of them grinning fiercely as the celebrations lost any and all decorum.

To make things even more ridiculous, Keisuke had managed to fall asleep in the middle of the commotion, dead to the world.

Only Naruto and Heiyako stayed out of the fighting. To the former's surprise, he even spied Hikari and Sora throwing some punches, and both looked like they were having a blast, despite the latter girl's usual distaste for violence.

"This is something of a tradition," Heiyako tried to explain, smiling peacefully at the growing fight.

"Hikari-chan told me," Naruto intercepted the elder before she could really go on.

The elder blinked and nodded. "Ah, good, good," she said, pleased.

Naruto watched the fighting for a moment more before he decided to get a question weighing on him off his chest. "Say...granny, why have people been calling me Clan Head candidate?"

Heiyako made no show of being irritated at the name he called her, and in truth didn't mind. She knew she was old enough to qualify, and since she actually _was_ a grandmother, it would've been hypocritical of her to get insulted. "Clan Heads must unite the family, Naru-chan," she answered kindly, giving him a nickname of her own and moving slightly to the side to avoid an errant plate. "We are many here, but we are not all. Two cells remain, and before you can become Clan Head, you must convince these two to come back to the family."

Naruto blinked and tilted his head, inadvertently avoiding the broken-off leg of a now-destroyed chair. That was it? He just had to convince two groups to come to Konoha? That didn't sound so hard...

"Before you think of running off, you should know it isn't as simple as giving a speech," Heiyako preempted him, looking amused. "I came here with my group because I believed in Kushina, and any son she had. I believed in Keisuke's word, and I am pleased by what I see," she said, making Naruto blush at the subtle praise.

"But not everyone is so easily swayed, Naru-chan," she reminded him as she settled her gaze on the ongoing fighting, a small twitch of her lips betraying her growing amusement as she saw Keisuke snore and twitch in his sleep amidst the chaos. "Those who didn't come with us need more than words to believe in you. They need to see achievements, power..."

Naruto made a face and crossed his arms. "Sounds dumb. Family is family, right?"

Heiyako seemed startled at the simplistic logic, but beamed warmly at him when she recovered. "That's right, Naru-chan," she agreed. "But remember, up until we found you, we all lived in hiding. We've suffered so much as a family, Naru-chan, that we're afraid of getting our hopes up. Please try to understand that."

Naruto didn't seem too convinced, but Heiyako could see he was slowly beginning to accept the situation. "I'll try, granny."

"That's all I can ask for, I suppose," Heiyako mused before patting him on the head, giving him an unexpectedly warm feeling at the caring act. "Now, why don't you join in with your clansmen? I'm sure it must've been hard not to jump in at first."

Naruto's eyes shimmered in excitement. "I can?!" he asked with a grin. He'd been restraining himself from joining the fight again because of the Elders' presence, but if she gave him permission... "WOOHOO! BRING IT ON, SUCKERS!" he roared as he jumped into the fray, decking an older teen clansman in the process.

Heiyako giggled behind a raised hand. "So much like Kushina..."

* * *

><p>Unsurprisingly, Keisuke was not pleased when he woke up the next day.<p>

Of course, that was partly because of the insane hangover he had, and partly because at some point during the...festivities, someone had nailed him in the crotch. Thus, his pain was amplified in a way only a man could know.

Even worse was that their neighbors, the Hyūga, had come to complain about the noise _while he was still recovering_.

Needless to say, Keisuke was not in a good mood when he addressed the gathered clan, the meeting now taking place within the roofed scaffolding for the Clan temple.

"So, according to our neighbors, it seems you all had quite a bit of fun last night..." he growled as he lay on his back, a conspicuous bag resting on his forehead and...cough...lower areas. It didn't take a genius to discern these were ice bags.

"Our neighbors even seem to think we snuck into their compound to play pranks on them," Keisuke continued, hearing a few clansmen swallow audibly. "They were especially displeased with the streaker who ran through their clan compound."

At this, the whole gathered clan sweatdrop; none of them having the courage...or insanity...to point out that _he'd_ been the perpetrator of that particular stunt, having woken up still blind drunk in the middle of the Uzumaki's merrymaking and apparently deciding to go streaking while cackling insanely. It was just as fortunate no one had caught a clear sight of him, as he'd been using his signature technique to increase his size.

Yes. Both sizes.

Either way, seeing as how no one had a death wish, they all remained stoically silent as he continued to list off the damages and pranks they'd apparently all done the prior night. It was at this point that Naruto realized why they needed a clan compound.

It wasn't to keep people _out_ so much as it was to keep the Uzumaki _in_.

Without a wall to keep them inside and easily managed, the Uzumaki were liable to go on wild, mass collateral damage-inducing rampages whenever their tempers flared or a party was thrown!

Anyway, Keisuke ranted as he rattled off every act of collateral damage the clan had caused as a result of the party, which, considering the amount of items he was going through, was an impressive few.

Amongst the front row of the clansmen, Naruto leaned over to Akemi, who he'd found to be the perfect older sister he'd always envisioned. "Is...is this also tradition?" he asked, uncertain.

The redhead smiled down at him and patted his lap, which was growing sore from all the seiza sitting. "Yep," she confirmed, much to his dismay. "After the party, the lecture. Don't worry, he's finishing soon."

"...and Natsu, for the last time, you _cannot_ go into a town and proclaim yourself Super Awesome Dragon Lord while wearing nothing but your underwear and scarf!" Keisuke continued lecturing, causing Naruto to sweatdrop at the fact that no one seemed even remotely surprised.

"I was drunk!" said drunken exhibitionist defended himself.

"Don't care. And Yuki, no more losing your pants near a school!" Keisuke reprimanded the dark haired teen. "I don't want the local parent's group to come and deliver a restraining order this time around!"

"It was an accident!"

"Not interested. Keep your clothes on, damnit!" Keisuke shot the boy's excuse down. "Daisuke, no more punching villagers if they disagree with you on what defines a man!"

Grumbling answered him.

"What was that?"

"...Nothing..."

Keisuke nodded. "I thought so. Lastly, we must address the issue of Naruto's graduation exam, due to happen in two days," he stated gruffly.

Said blond stiffened as the subject came up, though Heiyako took over for Keisuke, now that he'd gotten his chance at ranting. "As you know, Naruto, Hikari and the Advance Guard managed to give you a respite of two weeks to bring you up to scratch for the exam," Heiyako stated. "She has since reported that you are...passable. Thus, later today, as many of us as we can will be in attendance to watch you succeed in a preliminary exam, in order to see how you fare against the rest of us. After that, we will proceed with training you up as much as possible to Uzumaki standards before the actual graduation test, after which we shall draw up a more appropriate training regimen for you. Is that understood?" she asked calmly.

Naruto swallowed. It was bad enough he knew he had to retake the exam, but now he was going to have _another_ exam? Worse yet, against his family? "U-Understood..." he acknowledged with a nod.

Heiyako smiled as she nodded. "Good. Get some training in, then," she suggested. "It wouldn't do for the _Tōshu Koho_ of our Clan to perform sloppily."

Even though it'd been a suggestion, Naruto had the distinct feeling it was anything but. "H-Hai!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>Post-AN: Nothing much to say here. Hope the chapter's to your liking. Also, Keisuke's training won't happen till after the new Graduation Exam. Wouldn't make much sense to put in that scene with only 2 days left before that. Cheers.<em>**

**_December 16, 2013 Update: Chapter has been revised._**

**Glossary:**

Names (Fairy Tail Homologue)

**Keisuke** (Makarov) - Uzumaki Clan Elder  
><strong>Heiyako<strong> (Poryushka) - Uzumaki Clan Elder  
><strong>Hiroki <strong>(Gildarts) - Uzumaki Clansman, father of Nobuko  
><strong>Raiden<strong> (Laxus) - Uzumaki Clansman, Grandson of Keisuke  
><strong>Akemi<strong> (Mirajane) - Uzumaki Clansman, First degree cousin of Raiden, older sister of Daisuke and Miyuki  
><strong>Daisuke<strong> (Elfman) - Uzumaki Clansman, younger brother of Akemi, older brother of Lisanna  
><strong>Miyuki<strong> (Lisanna) - Uzumaki Clansman, younger sister of Akemi and Daisuke  
><strong>Eiji<strong> (Fried) - Uzumaki Clansman, first degree cousin of Raiden and Akemi/Daisuke/Miyuki  
><strong>Yuki<strong> (Gray) - Uzumaki Clansman by marriage (stepson of Uzumaki Nana)  
><strong>Kimiko<strong> (Erza) - Uzumaki Clansman, second degree cousin of Raiden**  
><strong>**Nobuko** (Cana) - Uzumaki Clansman, daughter of Hiroki  
><strong>Takeshi<strong> (Gajeel) - Uzumaki Clansman  
><strong>Natsu<strong> (Natsu) - Uzumaki Clansman  
><strong>Hikari<strong> (Lucy) - Uzumaki Clansman, first degree cousin of Nobuko and Amaya  
><strong>Amaya<strong> (Juvia) - Uzumaki Clansman  
><strong>Sora<strong> (Wendy) - Uzumaki Clansman, third degree cousin of Natsu and Takeshi  
><strong>Maki<strong> (Levy) - Uzumaki Clansman, fourth degree cousin of Eiji, sixth degree cousin of Takeshi


	6. Lost Clan Arc: Genin Exam Two Point Oh

**_**_AN: So yeah, not dead. Turns out, having no job for three months pretty much killed any inspiration I had to write. Now that I've actually -got- a job, however, I've been writing like crazy. The result: a double-header tonight; Chapter 15 of Emperor, and this chapter for Legacy of Uzushiogakure._**_**

**_As the title might imply, this is the chapter with the new Genin Exam. I'm sure that reactions will (inevitably) vary, and if there are any pressing concerns, I'll be glad to respond to them via Review Reply. Also, unlike EA's Bioware, I'm not averse to reviewing and even rewriting particular scenes if you can convince me they break the story. Not saying that'll happen; just saying it in case enough of you guys feel like the story's getting derailed._**

**_As for the exam itself...well, let's just say Uzushiogakure had very different standards of education._**

**_Cheers,_**

**_MB_**

* * *

><p>To say Naruto passed the clan's preliminary exam with flying colors was an understatement.<p>

The Elders had been _glowing_ at him as he (barely) finished the obstacle course — _easily _the most sadistic exam he'd ever had to go through...all courtesy of Kimiko, who insisted that was her _daily_ training ground.

He still refused to believe that.

Arriving at the Academy early the next day (the Elders had insisted on it, and had even assigned a small squad to _ensure_ he was early), Naruto had then proceeded to thoroughly shock Iruka and his classmates by _not_ picking a fight with anyone, or even being loud.

To be fair, the glares his minders were giving him were a good deterrent from doing so.

Either way, knowing he wouldn't be able to resist flying off the handle if he sat next to Sasuke or near Sakura or Ino, the blond had picked the one place he knew he couldn't get dragged into trouble — in between Shino, the creepy bug dude, and Hinata, the weirdo who kept blushing and poking her index fingers together whenever he looked at her.

As expected, even as Iruka shakily began explaining the special graduation exam (the poor man was still in shock at Naruto's sudden personality flip), Naruto found it impossible to cause a scene. Shino was about as personable as a brick wall covered in a layer of ice, while Hinata was quiet, albeit for a different reason — not that he could tell, granted.

Also, he could _swear_ that he felt Kimiko's glare on him, daring him to even _try_.

"A-As I was saying," the instructor regained his footing slowly, causing the class to eye him in deadpan. "You were all notified to attend this special graduation exam due to mitigating circumstances that arose during the normal one," Iruka stated, now more confident and starting to appreciate the lack of interruptions.

"As a result of the tampering of a now-convicted traitor, the impartiality of the exams you took were thrown into question," _by the Uzumaki_, he didn't say, not wishing to visit trouble on his pseudo-younger brother, "and as such, Hokage-sama has determined that in the interests of fairness, a new exam had to be issued, under his direct supervision."

Naturally, this all elicited groans from the class, except for a certain few — Hinata, who was too shy to protest; Shino, who nodded at the logic employed by the Hokage and Iruka; Sasuke, who grunted and looked out the window, no doubt confident nothing would change; and Naruto, who'd already had the circumstances explained to him...and having been present at the moment of the decision.

In fact, if Iruka had to guess, Naruto seemed positively...giddy.

Which was odd, considering the boy _loathed_ academics, and by extension, tests.

"Now, the test will happen in the following manner," Iruka continued, a little unnerved at the blond's excited disposition. He grabbed a piece of chalk and began writing a list on the blackboard. "First is a written exam, for which you will receive twenty percent of the final grade," he stated.

"Then, after the three basic exams, a physical conditioning exam, during which your stamina and resourcefulness will be tested in a simulated combat scenario," he continued, finally showing the first real deviation from the standard exam process. This had been a point stressed upon by the Hokage and agreed to by Homura and Koharu, though Danzo had disagreed, on grounds it would severely diminish their shinobi numbers. "Unlike before, it is _mandatory_ to pass this section of the exam, or else you will be immediately disqualified. You've all undergone the survival exercises here at the Academy, so there is no excuse if you fail," he levelled a warning glare at the class, which had been about to protest quite vocally. "This portion of the test will take place this evening, after the Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, and Taijutsu exams, each of which will take up twenty percent of your grade. Unlike before, it is _not_ necessary to pass _all_ of these last three with perfect scores," he added, eyeing Naruto, who'd been a glaring case of how skewed the regular exam was.

"Other than the mandatory pass for the physical conditioning exam, it will be necessary for you to accumulate a _minimum_ total of seventy-five points in order to graduate," he stressed as he finished writing on the board and circled the 75 he'd written several times.

Finished, Iruka watched as his students squirmed in their seats, smiling as he did so. He had no doubts that those who'd graduated before the retake would graduate again, and now that the exam was rebalanced into a fairer setup, he had no doubts Naruto would surprise everyone.

"The exam will begin in two hours," he stated. This had been arranged in order to give the children a chance at last-minute studying and practice, though another reason was so that the Hokage could clear enough of his schedule to attend the exam. "While you are free to stay here and study, or use the yard outside to train, you may _not_, under _any_ circumstances, use this time to consult with your clans, families, non-Academy friends, or acquaintances for aid or request or receive any items from _anyone_ outside of this class, understood?" Normally, such a warning wouldn't have needed such specificity, but Iruka had long since learned that when dealing with shinobi, any loopholes one left open would undoubtedly end up being abused.

He smiled as he watched all thirty-three students nod their heads. "Very good. See you in two hours, then. Don't be late!" he called out as they began to rush out of the room for their lockers or the yard.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Uzumaki Compound...<strong>_

"How was it?" Keisuke asked plainly as Naruto's bodyguard squad kneeled before him and Heiyako at the (still-being-built) meeting hall. Noticeably, the lack of walls sort of made the whole affair a lot more ridiculous-looking.

Jin, a rather muscular looking man with fading red hair, bowed his head a little deeper. "About as expected, Keisuke-choro," he answered. "The populace seems uncertain how to react in the face of our arrival and claim on Naruto-sama," he added. "For the most part, confused stares greeted us along the road, though there were still the occasional stares of condescension, suspicion, and outright disgust."

Keisuke frowned as he took a drag from his pipe and blew out smoke. While the initial scouting team had indeed reported the town's seeming antagonism towards Naruto, allowing him to colour his expectations of the populace's reaction to the Uzumaki arrival, he admittedly had apparently placed too much faith in the people's collective memory of the Uzumaki clan and their deeds in helping Konoha in the past. Apparently, it _was_ too much to ask for Konoha's citizens to remember their once great allies.

"We must bear in mind that Naruto-sama's condition will undoubtedly cause many to carry over their sentiments towards the clan," Heiyako pointed out, albeit sadly. "It was perhaps too much to hope for that they would see past his status as Jinchūriki once it became common knowledge we'd claimed him."

"We were naive to think that clan status would remove that stigma," Keisuke concurred with a nod as he tapped his pipe lightly, causing some blockage to fall out. "The question now is: should we attempt to ingratiate ourselves, or ignore the populace's sentiment?"

"I vote in favour of ignoring them," Heiyako stated firmly; but then she'd always been something of an isolationist. "Let them think what they will — our actions will prove them wrong."

"I vote ingratiation," Keisuke stated without missing a beat after his co-Elder had spoken. "We need the populace's good will for our businesses to function properly. Allowing hostility to fester will do us no good."

No one else in the room spoke up, as was customary in Uzumaki tradition. Only the Elders and Clan Head could vote on such decisions (even though the Clan Head could overrule the Elders any time a tie or close vote occurred). Unfortunately, with only two of the four Elders present and no _de jure_ Clan Head to rule on the tie, the two Elders were left at an impasse.

"You haven't changed a bit, Keisuke," Heiyako pointed out with a frown. "You've always been so fond of giving people second chances."

"And you've changed less, Heiyako," Keisuke countered calmly. "The Uzumaki have every right to participate in the world at large; we should not be so eager to vote away that right."

"The world at large destroyed our nation and family," Heiyako shot back. "They abandoned us without a second thought!"

Keisuke frowned. The last few days had been a wonderful reminder of the happiness and benign chaos the reunited Uzumaki were capable of, but he'd apparently chosen to forget the politicking that accompanied a reunited Council of Elders. In particular, the issue of Uzushio's abandonment by the Shinobi World — it had been one argument that, without the emergency of Uzushio's imminent fall and the Uzumaki's subsequent decision to split for safety purposes, would have threatened an Uzumaki civil war even as Uzu no Kuni came under siege.

"We are not having this argument again, Heiyako," Keisuke stated firmly. "This council is not complete, and we have no Clan Head to rule on it," he reminded his counterpart.

The faded redheaded woman glared at Keisuke for a moment before reluctantly nodding. Whatever disagreements they had, the two Elders knew that the unity of the Clan was now more important than ever. Having an ideological split this early on in the clan's reunion would only have catastrophic consequences.

Instead, Keisuke turned his attention to the redheaded woman kneeling silently next to Jin in a similar pose, quietly waiting to be called on. "What about you, Kaori? What happened with our attempts at reaching out to the clans?"

That had been the second part of Keisuke's proposed (and accepted) plan for the Uzumaki Clan's settling in Konoha. First was to gauge the populace's feelings towards them, and simultaneously reach out to the established clans. With any luck, shinobi professionalism would outweigh any personal recriminations they might have towards Naruto.

"We've met with partial success, Keisuke-choro," she answered with utter professionalism, not once showing any signs of discomfort at having been witness to a disagreement between Elders. "The Nara and Akimichi seem willing to trade and acknowledge us as friendly acquaintances, though the third of that familial alliance, the Yamanaka, have opted to take a more reserved approach. They claim to want to see our contributions first before making their decision."

"What of the others?" Heiyako questioned as her counterpart nodded in approval.

"The Inuzuka seem wary of us," Kaori responded immediately. "Given their clan's penchant for animalistic outlooks on life, my team has come to the conclusion that this is due to their need to know where we stand in a canine-like hierarchy. In short: whether we are alphas or followers."

Keisuke snorted. "Sounds about right," he deadpanned. "I can think of a few clansmen who'd love to settle that one."

"As can I," Heiyako said with a ghost of a smile. Still, she kept her stern facade. "What else?"

"The Hyūga are more...problematic," Kaori continued, frowning for the first time as she mentioned the clan's neighbours. "In numbers, they are the closest to us, even though a large gap still exists that is not quickly diminishing," she explained. "However, before we came here it was enough to warrant having a significant share of prestige; prestige we have now, in their eyes, stolen from them. In addition, our actions during the feasts, as well as our general reputation for...rowdiness, seems to have struck an ill chord with them. They are currently stonewalling any preferential trade agreement with us, and seem to have little patience for our presence within their compound."

The two elders exchanged glances then, uncertain how to proceed. "This was...to be expected, really," commented Heiyako with a small, defeated sigh. "In terms of clan personality, we're far too much an opposite force to them."

"Not to mention that insufferable pride of theirs," Keisuke grunted as he closed his eyes to ponder on the issue.

Heiyako nodded and turned back to Kaori. "What of the rumors about them?" she asked. "Is it true?"

Kaori nodded. "It is. One of my men was able to sneak a glance at the seal on a Branch member's forehead. It isn't one of ours," she stated with conviction. "However, it seems to be a bastardization of our work. Specifically, the detention seal," she added as she brought forth a scroll and unraveled it, letting the Elders see the reproduction of the seal.

The two Elders gave the seal a hard stare for a moment before disgust creeped up on Keisuke's face. "Bastardization indeed," he growled. "Those pain parameters have no business being there."

Heiyako was more conserved with her opinion, on the other hand. "It also seems to have integrated elements of the _Ura Shishō_," she pointed out. "Specifically targeted at parts of the genetic code, however."

Kaori nodded at both Elders. "Marui agrees, Choro-sama," she informed them. "It seems likely that what we've been told about the Hyūga's policy towards their kekkei genkai is true."

Heiyako shook her head sadly while Keisuke frowned deeply. "Sealing arts being used to keep family in line..." Keisuke grumbled in disgust.

"Shameful," Heiyako agreed. "Absolutely shameful."

"Yet, regrettably, quite outside our influence," Keisuke sighed before taking another drag and blowing out smoke. "What about the others? Have they been integrating well into their new assignments?

"It is too early to say, Choro-sama," Jin answered. "However, there appears to have been little friction between our clansmen and the shinobi forces. Mostly, the animosity seems contained to the non-combatants, as previously mentioned."

"_Some_ good news, at least," Heiyako grumbled. "Remind the clan that we expect reports regarding their work on a bi-weekly basis. If there are any signs of suspicious activity within Konoha's ranks, we cannot afford to ignore it."

Keisuke was of a mind to object to that, but had to restrain himself given that he'd already — reluctantly — agreed to such reports in a previous meeting with Heiyako. The truth was that as much as he wished he could trust Konoha's population implicitly, there was just too much risk that they could be sold out to their enemies; in which case, it was necessary for the Uzumaki to have their eyes open for any warning signs of betrayal.

It depressed the elder man greatly, but it was something he'd had to come to terms with.

"Jin, Kaori, you're dismissed," he told the two shinobi kindly; not even blinking when they suddenly moved out of view. Instead, he turned to Heiyako and sighed. "Now, since we've managed to get that old monkey to agree to the survival exam, you think it's a good time to bring up that other thing with him?"

Heiyako's cunning smile was all the answer he needed.

* * *

><p>The training yard was chaos incarnate.<p>

Thoroughly unnerved by Iruka's lecture about the upcoming marathon of an exam, the students of Naruto's class had scampered about in order to dig up old notes, exams...hell, _anything_ that had a shred of facts on it!

A few girls even burst into tears at several points, the abrupt stress getting to them. Sakura, to Naruto's approval, was one of the few (along with Ino and Hinata) who managed to keep it together, though it quickly became apparent that this was solely due to her self-assurance at her performance in academics. The physical conditioning part, on the other hand, had her in nervous tatters.

In fact, most of the girls in the class seemed equally troubled by the addition of such a test. What the boys had failed to realize (except maybe for Shikamaru, Choji, Shino, and Kiba) was that as a result of preconceived perceptions of what qualified as beautiful (nevermind that they were only _just_ entering their teen years) most of the girls had engaged in highly unbalanced diets that left them with very little protein in their bodies, and as such, muscle mass and stamina. The strongest girls in the class were, predictably enough, Ino and Hinata, and with good reason.

The Yamanaka Clan were experts at psychology no matter what age the patient was. Thus, Yamanaka Inoichi, the current clan head and Ino's father, had quickly seized on the psychological development of his daughter and noted her slow movement towards eating disorders before immediately putting a stop to it. As such, despite having spent months furious at her father, Ino remained one of the healthier girls in the class, though she still lacked muscle mass.

Hinata, on the other hand, was firstly of the Hyūga Clan, and secondly not all too worried with impressing a certain duck-butt-haired boy. This meant two things: one, that neither her father nor the Elders of her clan would _ever_ allow her to follow the other girls' example and in so doing weaken herself (more than they already thought her to be, that is); and two, she didn't feel the need to conform to other girls' definition of beauty, especially as her mother, before she'd died, had always called her a beautiful girl.

In fact, in terms of looks, Hinata had little to no confidence issues. If anything, her shattered self-confidence mostly, if not entirely revolved around her combat abilities. As shinobi, her looks always came second, whereas her ability to distinguish herself in the field always came first, which was why she was considered such a failure by her clan, and why her self-confidence remained low. Unlike her Branch House cousin Neji, she just didn't have the intuitive skill for Jūken.

No, that wasn't quite right. She did have the skill for it.

She just loathed the idea of harming others.

What this meant, however, was that both girls had a leg up on their competition in the physical conditioning test, and so were more focused in their own areas of weakness — Taijutsu for Ino, Ninjutsu for Hinata.

On the boy's side, most of their worries revolved around the written test and the Genjutsu exam, since the fine chakra control the latter demanded was not one the boys were too inclined to practice. Even Sasuke, the class prodigy, didn't waste the break period lazing about, having hit the books the moment the class had been dismissed.

Call the boy whatever you wanted...he was a diligent student all the way.

What surprised most of the class, however, was the sight of Nara Shikamaru studying like a man possessed. Oh, the living monument to lazy bachelor stereotypes didn't care about passing with flying colors, but the rise of the minimum pass grade to 75 points and the inclusion of the survival test were indicators that he had to get his ass in gear for once. At first, he hadn't bothered to go further than 75 points in his calculations, but one whispered comment (read: threat) from Ino regarding tattling to his mother had banished the laziness out of the pineapple-haired boy and gotten him to roar at his classmates to leave him alone while frothing at the mouth as he studied like crazy.

Only Choji remained near his friend during Shikamaru's meltdown.

Naruto, for his part, remained mostly outdoors, knowing he sucked at Genjutsu, rocked at Ninjutsu, and was passable at Taijutsu. The written portion? Well...he had learned enough under Maki, Amaya, and Sora's watchful eye, thanks to his Kage Bunshin. Survivability exam? No problem — living on your own for most of your life effectively guaranteed top-notch survival skills...or an early grave.

Thus, he focused on the one thing he _could_ improve during the short break, his Taijutsu. Yet, who to ask for help? Kiba would've been the obvious choice, but the wild boy, quickly realizing he sucked at way too many classes, had gone on a studying rampage the likes of Shikamaru's. Said lazy boy, in turn, would probably find a way to frame him for some horrible crime if he dared interrupt his studying marathon, and Choji was more worried about the written portion than the rest of the exam.

Shino...nah. Bug boy freaked Naruto out. Always silently staring at you behind those dark glasses...Naruto shivered. He thought about challenging Sasuke, but the boy was brushing off _everyone_ as he crammed.

That left the girls, which didn't quite appeal to Naruto, seeing as how he hated fighting women. It just seemed so...mean.

Then again, he did recall that most of them seemed to be on par with him in Taijutsu. Ino, for instance, was pretty much where he'd been before getting picked up by the Uzumaki clan. Plus, she was really smart, always aggregately scoring at the top of the class alongside Shino and Sasuke. If anyone could determine any salient flaws that his family hadn't been able to get to, it was her.

Plus, y'know, she was practicing Taijutsu at the moment. So why not take advantage of the situation?

Going over to his fellow blond, he raised his hand in greeting and grinned. "Ossu, Ino!"

Ino stopped in mid-kata to glare at Naruto. She didn't particularly hate the boy, but she did find him annoying at times. That said, he'd made a vast improvement in her books after having ditched the hideous fashion faux-pas he called a tracksuit. "What do you want, Naruto?" she asked rudely. "Can't you see I'm training?!"

Sweatdropping at the hostile greeting, Naruto demonstrated his stubborn streak by not backing down. "Maa, maa..." he tried to wave away the hostility, to little effect. "I was just thinking..."

"Oh kami, really?!" she mocked gasped.

Naruto flinched, but kept his composure. "Since you're practicing Taijutsu, why not have a spar with me? I'm trying to work out the kinks in my style, but my family hasn't been able to fix all of it."

Being part of one of Konoha's distinguished ninja clans, Ino of course had learned of Naruto's estranged family having arrived and taken him in. While she was happy for the blonde, thinking that no child should go without the warmth family provided, that didn't make him any less of an idiot and an annoyance.

Still, he had a point. She could practice katas until the cows came home, but none of that would compare to actual sparring experience.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Fine, but so help me, Naruto, if you try anything funny..." she threatened.

There was a reason why girls and boys sparred in segregated groups, after all. The temptation was just too big for boys undergoing puberty _not_ to try something with their female classmates.

Naruto raised his hands in self-defense. "I know, I know!" he hastily reassured her. "I won't do anything, promise!"

Ino still kept a suspicious glare levelled at him, but nodded at his vow. That would have to be good enough, she supposed. "Alright," she agreed. "Rules?"

"Just Taijutsu, no crippling blows, nothing that would put the other out of shape for the exam," Naruto offered.

Ino nodded, agreeing with the terms. "Sounds good. Come on," she led her fellow blonde to the sparring circle, where she took a stance. Naruto wasted no time in doing the same opposite her.

"Want to give the signal?" Naruto asked as he slid into what seemed to be a bastardized form of the Jūken stance, greatly surprising Ino and shocking Hinata, who'd taken a small break from her Ninjutsu training to spy—err..._observe_ Naruto.

Shaken, Ino nonetheless regained her calm as she figured Naruto had just seen Hinata spar at some point and decided the fighting style was 'cool.' Satisfied with that mental conclusion, she nodded. "Yeah. On three." Naruto nodded.

"Three," she vocalized, her muscles (or what passed for muscles in the skinny girl) tensing.

"Two..." Naruto continued, his own muscles going rigid.

One...neither vocalized as their eyes narrowed.

Zero.

In a flash, Naruto's eyes widened as he gracefully (or what passed for graceful at age 13) swerved aside on his heel, easily dodging Ino's sudden, snap-kick, which would've decked the blond in one go if he'd stayed still.

Quick on the uptake, Naruto aimed an open palm at Ino's ribs, only for the girl to lean forward and use her extended leg as a pivot to launch another kick at Naruto, who quickly jumped to the side, avoiding this one as well.

Already, in two moves, Naruto had impressed Ino, who admittedly had never seen such a fighting style before in her life. She'd imagined, by Naruto's stance, that he'd be copying the Hyuuga's form of fighting which, while arguably mostly offensive, was still rather straightforward. No one she'd ever fought before had used circular movements to fight!

Grimacing as she returned to a ready stance, she watched warily as Naruto started moving in circles around her, which she strove to match so she'd never show him her exposed areas. Unfortunately, she wasn't accustomed to moving around so much on the same spot, and eventually she stumbled on herself ever so slightly, which was all Naruto needed.

With a grunt of exertion, Naruto launched another barrage of attacks at Ino's exposed side, which she quickly dodged, cursing as she realized she was now on the defensive. Where the hell had the boy learned to fight like this?! Whenever he sparred against Sasuke, he just charged his opponent like a bull!

Quickly returning to her stance, she launched herself at the blond boy, determined to regain the momentum of the fight. Launching a jab, she was shocked to see Naruto _deflect_ it away and using her momentum to close the distance, until he was far too close for any sort of attack to be effective.

"Uzumaki Hakkesho!" he called out, both arms thrusting forward. "Futago Tenkusho!"

What sounded like a really extravagant technique was simply, for the purposes of this fight, Naruto slamming both of his open palms into Ino's stomach at full force, launching her backwards. Yet, despite its incomplete state, the technique, reinforced by Naruto's sheer natural strength, was enough to knock the wind out of the Yamanaka heiress as she landed roughly on her back and wheezed painfully.

Naruto stayed in his attack position for all of a second before realizing what he'd done. Suddenly fretting that Ino would kick his ass for having hurt her so, he quickly rushed over and bowed deeply while apologizing — two things no male opponent would've ever seen him do to them.

"Oh crap, I'm so sorry, Ino!" he apologized over and over again as he helped the blond back onto her feet. The attempt failed, merely leaving the girl sitting on the ground, which was _some_ improvement, the two imagined.

"What..." she gasped, still trying to get her breathing under control. "What the _hell_ was _that_, Naruto?!" she asked, wide-eyed. She could scarcely believe how easily she'd been brought down by someone who'd she'd estimated to be around her level in Taijutsu just two weeks ago!

Naruto, on the other hand, was scratching the back of his head with a nervous smile. "Hehe..." he chuckled nervously. "It's...something my clansman taught me."

"Your clan knows Jūken?!" Ino all but shrieked, grabbing the attention of a few students before Shikamaru's hysterical roar of "SHUT UP!" was heard from within the building. Both Ino and Naruto sweatdropped as the lazy boy's meltdown continued.

Hinata, who had foregone her training to investigate this seeming leak in her family's fighting style, also sweatdropped at the Nara boy's crazed cram session, though she quickly recognized that whatever Naruto had been using, it _wasn't_ Jūken.

Said troublemaker confirmed her suspicions by shaking his head with a smile. "Nah, we can't use that stuff according to my cousin," he said, folding his hands behind his head and staring up at the sky. "He calls this style the Uzumaki Eight Trigrams Palms style," he corrected her. "Instead of using chakra to disrupt the chakra coils, we use chakra manipulation to enhance our strength!" he stated, though to Ino it sounded like he was reciting a lecture from memory.

Unbeknownst to both of them, Hinata gasped as she quickly realized the potential of such a style in the hands of a fully offensive and powerfully built warrior. Ino might've gotten there first, if it wasn't for the fact that she had no idea how the Gentle Fist actually worked, having to take her fellow blond's words at face value.

"But why the circles?" she half-asked, half-demanded.

Naruto shrugged. "Did you notice how hard it was to land a hit on me?" he pointed out, garnering a comprehending nod from Ino. "Yeah...my cousin gave me a hell of a time with this style. If you think _I _was slippery, he's practically untouchable!"

Ino's mind was quick at work as she digested this information. Her first instinct was to gossip about this new style like crazy, but her ninja training and her father's teachings immediately ruled that out, given that Naruto, for better or worse, was a Konoha citizen, and thus an ally. Allies didn't rat out allies.

On the other hand, she felt her respect for the troublemaker rise a few notches. Fighting under a discipline that actually required...well..._discipline_ must've been hell on the hyperactive boy. It spoke well of his character that he'd been able to buckle down and actually learn the style.

Though that brought up another question, one that bugged both Ino _and_ Hinata.

How the hell had he learned it to this proficiency in two weeks?!

When asked, Naruto gave Ino an apologetic smile and a bow. "Sorry, can't say just yet!" he excused himself. "I gave the Elders my word!"

Ino was about to protest, but found herself unable to. She knew what that was like. When Clan Elders, in the absence of a Clan Head, ordered something, you did it without question. It was something both her and Hinata could relate to, though both were sorely disappointed the lack of answers.

Checking her watch, however, Ino noticed that only ten minutes had passed since the spar had ended, which had taken less than that. That meant they still had well over an hour and a half to burn before the exam!

A big part of her was furious at having been so easily defeated, but her competitive streak refused to yield.

"Up for another match?" she challenged as she got back up and dusted herself off. She gave Naruto a confident grin. "This time, I won't go down so quickly!"

Naruto smiled, happy at not having alienated the girl. For her part, Hinata felt something weigh down on her heart as she watched Naruto happily accept Ino's challenge. Why couldn't she be the one he was sparring against? Why couldn't he rely on her to improve himself?

Of course, there was an obvious reason for all this: her self-confidence was so shot, Naruto rarely ever got to see her in action. As such, he had no idea how strong she was (or could be), so there was no real reason to seek her out for training.

In the end, Hinata had to conform herself with observing Naruto's fights, making mental notes on his stance mistakes and openings. Even if she couldn't tell him to his face, maybe a written note would suffice?

* * *

><p>The moment soon came, and the exams were upon the 33 students.<p>

All of them filtering into the classroom like prisoners on death row (even Shikamaru, who'd been booted out by Iruka in order to prepare the room for the Uzumaki guests and the Hokage), all thirty-three students bowed to the exalted guests in the room before getting to their seats, silently gossiping about the village's newcomers.

The arrival of the Uzumaki had, predictably, caused every sort of reaction under heaven throughout Konoha. There were those who were excited at the survival of the ancient blood allies of Konoha; those who were sceptical about the newcomers and their rowdy ways; and those silently hostile due to past grudges between their ancestors and the Uzumaki. Not that any of it surprised the clan of redheaded crazies; after all, there wasn't a village under heaven that didn't have a couple of feuding families. Most of the time they just buried the animosity and were assigned to different squads, so there wasn't much reason to intervene beyond that.

As Naruto came in, he did the customary bow before looking at his clan Elders and grinning wide, waving at them happily. Even with a distinguished family backing him, Naruto couldn't help some of his more typical behaviour. To everyone's surprise, the Elders returned the smiles and waves despite their exalted positions as the Hokage's guests.

"Stop waving and move!" Shikamaru hissed behind him, that crazed look still in his eyes. Naruto sweatdropped as the boy did a record-time bow and dashed for his seat, eyeing the clock like the object was his eternal enemy. Hell, if the Nara boy wasn't careful, Naruto would bet he'd snap the pencil he was holding, his grip was so tight.

Apparently, the boy took the threat of a scolding from his mother _quite_ seriously.

Making a note of that for future use and abuse, Naruto took his seat between Shino and Hinata, both of whom gave their own customary greeting to the blond (read: a nod from Shino, stuttering from Hinata). Then, when the rest of the students had taken their seat, Iruka moved to the center of the front of the room and smiled at them, holding a stack of papers in his hands.

"Good to see you're all on time...even you, Shikamaru," the scarred chunin said with a chuckle. He'd been quite amused at seeing the Nara heir go nuts over the exam, seeing as how he'd had to put up with the boy's laziness for too many years.

"As I said earlier, this will be the first portion of your exam," he reminded the students. "This portion is a written test of thirty-four questions in length. You have two hours to finish," he announced. "Please don't start answering until I've finished giving out the exam."

Five minutes was all that announcement took, yet in that time Shikamaru had looked like he was about to undergo several dozen heart attacks and brain aneurysms. Smiling at the varying reactions from his students, Iruka glanced at the guests in the room, who nodded back. Raising his hand as he looked down at his watch, he waited until the second ticker hit the 12 mark.

"Exam...start!" he announced.

No sooner had he finished saying that, that the sound of pencils scratching like crazy could be heard coming from everyone. Smiling, Iruka took his seat to the left of the Hokage, who looked at the students like a proud grandfather. Together, the two guests, Hokage, and chunin settled in for the wait as the students diligently filled out their exam sheets.

As they did, they took note of varying incidents during the test.

At the thirty minute mark, one girl had burst into tears all of a sudden and rushed out of the room, prompting a few unsettled looks, but otherwise no one else seemed to get deterred from their task. Iruka had to pop out to make sure the girl was alright, however. Even so, she did admit she wasn't ready for the exam and agreed to stay on another year. Even reminding her that she didn't have to pass perfectly didn't deter the girl.

Then, at forty-five minutes, Iruka and the others started to notice that Shikamaru was chanting something to himself in a low voice. Upon straining their hearing, they almost burst out laughing as they realized he was maniacally chanting "_kettei!_" over and over again, as a show of determination.

By the hour mark, another few girls excused themselves before loudly crying once they'd left the classroom. They, too, opted to stay on another year.

A few minutes later, the first of the boys to drop out did so after signalling his frustration by slamming his head against the desk over and over again.

Soon after, another boy dropped out after literally laughing like crazy and then imitating a cow.

Suffice to say, by the time the exam was over only 25 students were left in the running out of the original 33.

Those that were left, however, felt pleased with themselves at having held out. Strangely, though, the exam itself hadn't been as difficult as the amount of dropouts had suggested. Rather, from what Iruka had gathered, it was the pressure to perform under the scrutiny of Clan Elders and the Hokage. Add that pressure to the fact that they also had to perform well on the survival test — which not everyone excelled at — and you had a recipe for culling the...well...weak from the herd.

Of course, there was no way for _another_ retake to be issued on those grounds. If any parent wanted to object, the Hokage merely had to inform them that their children would have to act under even more pressure. If they couldn't handle the pressure of taking a simple written test in his presence, then they either weren't ready for shinobi life, or weren't suited for it.

The next three exams, for their part, happened with little trouble. Being that these had remained fairly similar to the ones they'd taken two weeks ago, the remaining students were more at ease, even with the added special spectators.

It wasn't until the Taijutsu exam, however, that the class began to witness some changes.

Having failed the Genjutsu exam just barely (which hardly put him out of the running, especially if he got the grade he estimated for himself in the written portion), Naruto had aced the Ninjutsu exam under the pleased gazes of his Clan Elders. When Taijutsu came up, however, the elders were more than pleased at his performance.

They were ecstatic, even if they didn't show it outwardly.

For once passably trained in Taijutsu (thus putting him on the level on most of the boys in his class), Naruto had held his ground admirably against Kiba, who _had_ won, though it was a close call. Even after they were done, the Inuzuka had simply stared at him for a moment before grinning and holding out his closed fist to the jinchuuriki, who grinned back and bumped it with his own while Akamaru yipped happily.

He may have lost his fight, but at least he'd gained the respect of the Clan Elders and Kiba. Even Sasuke had glanced at him with some pleasant surprise, though he just as quickly reverted to his brooding persona.

When the spars were over, however, the students finally became nervous, as the survival test loomed ahead. This was the true unknown of the exam, and all of them had to admit they were a bit intimidated.

Leading the kids to a secluded area within a mile of the wall, though the students were unable to determine that thanks to a nifty genjutsu the Hokage applied, Iruka turned to his students with a wide smile that belied the nervousness he, too, held at having to put them through this test.

"Now that the rest is over, it's time for the survival portion of the exam!" he said cheerily. "The test is quite simple. During the next forty-eight hours, a squad of Chunin will be combing the area for you. Your task is to simply hide from sight and survive off the land. A full score will be granted to those who manage to remain hidden all forty-eight hours. The passing score is awarded at thirty-six hours. Any less than that, and I'm sorry, but you're not cut out for genin just yet," he apologized in advance. "Any questions?"

Sakura immediately raised her hand. Iruka nodded at her, having expected her to have something to ask. "Isn't it dangerous to have us do this outside the walls?" she asked fearfully. After all, they weren't even Genin yet!

Iruka nodded. "A valid point, Sakura," he answered with a smile, causing her to reciprocate at the praise. "The answer is no; thanks to the assistance of the Uzumaki clan's seal masters," he gestured to the two elders, who nodded or bowed at the students. "The test area has been placed within very strong Fūin barriers, which will keep out any undesirables long enough for Konoha to come to your rescue, if you need it. In addition, with the Chunin on hand, you will be safe in the event of unexpected trouble."

Sakura nodded, still a little dubious about the safety of the test, but sufficiently mollified to let it go.

Seeing no more questions, and quite a few eager faces, Iruka smiled before glancing at the Hokage, who once again gave a nod. Turning back to his students, Iruka raised his hand. "Alright, then! From the moment I say so, you will have one hour to hide yourself, after which the Chunin will begin hunting for you! Remember, you _must_ remain _uncaught_ in order to pass!"

The genin candidates eyed each other warily at that reminder before staring at Iruka, their eagerness barely diminished. Smiling, Iruka nodded. "Alright...GO!"

In an instant, all 25 students jumped out of sight.

Iruka sighed as he turned to the Hokage and the two Uzumaki Elders. "Well, that's that."

Hiruzen nodded his aged head with a smile. "Quite," he agreed. "Please inform Izumo to have his team ready in one hour, Iruka-kun," he ordered pleasantly. With a nod, the chunin vanished from sight, already on his way to Konoha.

The Hokage gave the two Uzumaki a smile then. "Well then...any bets on who reaches the passing mark?"

* * *

><p><strong>Hour 0.5...<strong>

Naruto had never felt so exhilarated in his life while taking a test.

Usually, his Academy tests had been a monotonous routine of showing up, failing or barely passing, and then returning to his usual schedule of wrecking havoc and chaos in the classroom and out. This time, however, he was in his element!

Quickly going from branch to branch, Naruto finally settled on a small ditch near a river, having noted a slight crease on the side of the ditch that burrowed just beneath a big old tree. Judging from it, he would've guessed it was some animal's home, but the lack of freshly moved ground told him it was long abandoned.

With some effort, and taking great pains not to use chakra, lest he give himself away, Naruto carved at the crease with his kunai, slowly digging a tunnel under the tree. Eventually realizing the hunt wasn't on just yet, he smacked himself in the forehead and began powering his hands with chakra, which served to accelerate the burrowing speed, until he soon had a cramped, but spacious enough hole in which to hide. It wasn't the most glamorous hiding place, but the nearby river gave him fast access to water, and the smell of dirt all over himself would ensure his scent was masked, both of which amounted to critical lessons in his survival classes.

Just as he was about to settle in, however, he heard someone approaching, having accidentally snapped a tree branch with one of their footsteps. Cursing, Naruto guessed he'd lost track of time and the hunt was on. Cursing even further, he realized he must've picked a place near the seekers' starting point.

Unfortunately not having had the time to mask his little cave's entrance, Naruto just prayed no one looked towards the side of the ditch. His hopes were dashed, however, as he heard a (somewhat familiar) female voice say, "H-He's i-in a h-hole on the s-side of the d-ditch."

An even _more_ familiar sigh followed that statement. "Damnit, Naruto...a hole? _Really?_"

Blinking as he recognized the voice, Naruto popped out of his hole and slowly drew his head over the edge of the ditch, only to see Shikamaru and Hinata towering above him.

"Shika? Hinata? What the hell are you two doing here?" he demanded, missing the girl's flinch at his confrontational tone. "You should be hiding!"

Shikamaru sighed as he smacked his face in exasperation. "Moron. There's no way we can pass this exam if we hide alone," he told Naruto, who blinked.

"Huh?"

"Look, our opponents are Chunin. _Chunin_. That means they're good enough to go on actual tracking missions after actual missing-nin or bandits. Do you really think we can hide from experienced trackers?" Shikamaru pointed out. "Especially if they have forty-seven hours to look for us?" he added in, just to see Naruto squirm a little more as his logic destroyed Naruto's.

"B-But Iruka-sensei...!" Naruto protested. He would've said something about the fact that he'd previously managed to hide from Jonin-level shinobi, but Hinata cut him off just then.

"Eh...Iruka-s-sensei n-never s-said w-we couldn't t-team up, N-Naruto-kun," Hinata spoke up, nonetheless unable to meet his eyes due to the heavy blush she wore. "J-Just that w-we had to s-stay h-hidden."

"Wrong," Shikamaru stated with a sigh. He, unlike Naruto _did_ notice the flinch. "I mean about the hidden part, Hinata. He didn't say we had to stay hidden. He said _uncaught_," he stressed the word.

Naruto's eyes lit up with understanding. "_Oooooh_."

Hinata, too, quickly grasped onto what Shikamaru was saying. Seeing his audience was with him, surprisingly even Naruto, Shikamaru nodded. "So here's what I propose," he stated as he crouched down, quickly emulated by Hinata. Naruto stayed peeking over the edge of the ditch. "We team up, and build a _suitable_ hide-out," he stressed the word as he eyed Naruto, who had the decency to blush. "Your concept was good, but flawed, Naruto. Ditches are the first place they'd look, as are treetops."

"Where do you suggest we go, then?" Naruto asked, having simply assumed they all agreed to work together. Shikamaru and Hinata noted this, earning Naruto a nod from Shikamaru and a happy (some might even say ecstatic) smile from Hinata.

"I scouted out several places I think are suitable with the help of Hinata," Shikamaru stated in a no-nonsense tone. "She was the only one I could find in time before we all split up like crazy."

Said the boy who had a minor meltdown mere hours ago.

"But I know Choji and Ino; they'll be alright. Hell, I don't doubt Choji's already linked up with Ino."

"Why not look for them, then?" asked Naruto. Shikamaru eyed him.

"If we could, I would," he stated with some aggravation. "However, we're halfway into the hour and the Chunin aren't going to be pulling punches, so hunting down our comrades will take too much time. In fact, I suggest we haul ass to the designated spot and start working on the hideout," he stated.

Realizing the Nara heir was right, Naruto and Hinata both nodded before the three jumped away.

* * *

><p><strong>Hour 1.3...<strong>

Hinata had never been so embarrassed before in her life!

After finding Naruto and getting him to agree with Shikamaru's plan (much to her glee), the trio had jumped towards the Nara heir's calculated hideout, quickly finding out he'd chosen a rather flat clearing.

Immediately, Naruto had begun to rail at him, accusing him of trying to set them up for failure, until Shikamaru glared at him and told him to shut up so he could explain.

As it turned out, Shikamaru's idea was brilliant.

Whereas everyone else would naturally overlook a clearing as a hideout due to its exposed nature, this same characteristic made it one of the places where trackers would _least_ likely investigate, judging that no one was retarded enough to stay put there.

Thus, buying themselves some time (given that Shikamaru had calculated that the Chunin would know the area, and therefore overlook clearings at first), he'd quickly explained the second phase of his plan: an underground hideout.

Ordinarily, such a feat would've taken weeks to build, but Shikamaru, having seen Naruto perform the Kage Bunshin during the Ninjutsu test, had quickly realized the boy's extraordinary potential as a survival partner.

Thus, with Hinata keeping watch with her Byakugan, and Shikamaru directing the effort, Naruto and his clones dug up a rather deep hole which was then expanded into a small cave. Fortunately, the chakra exercises that the Uzumaki Hakkesho style demanded had also served to eat away at the ground, like a sort of jackhammer.

While Naruto finished up the cave, Shikamaru had gone to fetch some sturdy branches and then constructed a thick, removable piece of turf to block the entrance to their hole with. It wouldn't hold if someone, say...jumped on it, but if one was merely walking over it, it would keep their hiding place secure.

It was just as they were celebrating the finish of their hastily contrived project, however, that Hinata squeaked in alarm, having finally caught sight of a Chunin tracking team headed their way. Thankfully, there didn't appear to be dogs or Hyūgas amongst them.

Still, it served to get the three teens into the hole quickly. Unfortunately, the hole wasn't designed for quick entry and exits, and so the three remained remained in somewhat awkward positions, pressed against each other, even as Shikamaru closed the hole...just in time for the Chunin to show up at the clearing's edge.

Thus, Hinata's current situation.

Having been all but shoved into the hole by Naruto, who thought he'd been chivalrous, she'd entered awkwardly and remained stuck right at the mouth of their little cavern. Unfortunately, Naruto had gone in next, thus pressing him tight against her, fueling both her imagination and her blush. Shikamaru put the cherry on top of the awkward situation by slamming into Naruto, managing to get him to press even more against her, which brought forth a small squeal.

"Shhh!" Shikamaru hissed as he put the cover on the hole. "Damnit, Naruto, I swear to _kami_...if we get caught..."

"It's not my fault!" Naruto protested loudly, before getting elbowed in the ribs by an irritated Shikamaru. "Look, I made it the way you wanted it, okay?!"

"N-Naruto-kun...y-you're..." Hinata tried to say he was pressing tightly against her chest which, for a thirteen year old girl, was developed ahead of time, though not by much. Even so, it embarrassed her greatly. Almost as greatly as the feeling of having her lower back and butt sticking out in the cavern.

"Next time, don't shove people into holes!" Shikamaru was still arguing with Naruto via hisses.

"Like I had time to think about that!" Naruto retorted.

"G-Guys..." Hinata tried to intervene, hoping that an end to the fighting would mean less squirming by Naruto. "I...I..."

"Shh!" Shikamaru interrupted her, suddenly tense and on alert. He paused for a moment before whispering, "Hinata, can you use your Byakugan to see what's going on?" he asked.

Only the whispered name of the girl's kekkei genkai answered him. Before long, he heard a sigh of relief.

"They're moving away," Hinata reported. "Ten meters...twenty...thirty...they're out of the clearing and headed north."

Both Naruto and Shikamaru sagged in relief.

That didn't last long, however, as their argument returned in full throttle.

"See? You almost got us caught you troublesome idiot!"

"Oi! If you wanted a bigger hole, then you should've said so _while I was digging!_"

Hinata sighed. Only 47 more hours to go.

* * *

><p><strong>Hour 5...<strong>

After their bumpy start, Naruto had dug a wider, more accessible entrance to the cave while Hinata stood watch with her bloodline activated.

They had managed to get out of the cramped hole by having Naruto use his chakra-enhanced palms carve around them, finally getting Hinata to fall into the cave, followed by Naruto and then Shikamaru.

For almost the next hour, Naruto and Shikamaru had argued about what had gone wrong, with Hinata trying to work as peacemaker, with little success. Shikamaru was, uncharacteristically so, quite high strung for the exam, which Hinata knew to blame Ino for.

Still, having realized his part in the debacle they had only just managed to get themselves out of, he had conceded his part of the fault and crouched in his designated spot of the cave to think.

Moments later, his eyes had opened up again and he'd outlined a more detailed plan for passing the exam, inadvertently causing Naruto to lose his bet with Hinata that Shikamaru had just fallen asleep. He now owed her two berries.

Either way, the next few hours had gone relatively well, all things considered. With the wider opening, Shikamaru had been forced to create a larger cover, which he complained about all throughout his work. Furthermore, in order to survive, Shikamaru had pointed out the necessity of water and food.

Naruto was in charge of that, given his ability to use Shadow Clones. Spamming about twelve of them into being, he ordered them to move out and search for food while he stayed with Hinata, who monitored the clones from the safety of their base camp. That way, if she saw one of them getting followed or tracked, she could warn Naruto in time to have him dispel them.

Meanwhile, said blond worked on digging a small hole in the cave even deeper, as Hinata had told him there was an underground current of water running a few feet down. As he did so, he reflected on how much help Hinata had been on this exam. After all, she's helped scout out this place, she'd kept watch when he'd dug the hideout, and now when they went out looking for food, and had found the water source.

To be honest, he was somewhat perplexed.

After all, prior to this test, he had very little knowledge of Hinata's abilities. She'd always seemed a shy weirdo to him, unable to vocalize much, if anything. She seemed smart, too, given that she had little trouble following Shikamaru's train of thought, though he'd never really seen her participate much in class.

Overall, she was challenging his view of his world, and Naruto didn't know quite what to make of that.

Okay, so maybe that sounded a little exaggerated, but to Naruto it wasn't. Living on his own for thirteen years hadn't worn down his determination to get people's acknowledgment, but it _did_ serve to solidify some profiles he'd constructed of people over the years.

For instance, once Ino had recovered from the surprise of Naruto's new taijutsu form, she'd actually become a decent challenge, which he wouldn't have expected at all from the gossip! Shikamaru, as it turned out, really was a huge brain when he got his ass into gear (which he now realized was possible upon threat of tattling). Hinata, for her part, was an awesome lookout and a smart girl, if a bit shy.

Plus, Hinata had a really nice laugh, which he'd found out when he'd finally hit the underwater current and managed to spray his face with water. She'd been unable to hold back a giggle, which in turn made Naruto blink at her before grinning and giving a thumbs up.

"Water, just like you said, Hinata-chan! Nice work!" he praised her, though he was confused as to why she suddenly eeped and turned scarlet.

Shikamaru had stared at the two, up at the earthen ceiling, and sighed in exasperation, muttering "Troublesome" before closing his eyes and settling in for a nap. Soon after, his two companions followed suit.

43 hours remaining.

* * *

><p><strong>Hour 13...<strong>

"Hinata," Shikamaru ordered.

"H-Hai," the shy girl acknowledged before making a hand seal. "_Byakugan_**!**" she mumbled. Instantly, the veins around her eyes bulged, giving her a scowling expression that never failed to freak Naruto out. At least the scowl was only for the initial step...otherwise he'd have to keep looking away from those angry-looking eyes.

A pause. "Well?" Naruto asked impatiently. Waiting around wasn't one of his strong suit.

The girl blushed. "No danger," she reported. "T-The teams a-aren't even close."

"Any of the others around?" asked Shikamaru a little irritably. When they'd woken up two hours ago, Naruto had complained that it wasn't fair that no one else was benefiting from their teamwork. Even Shikamaru's assurances that the smarter members of the class would figure that out hadn't persuaded the blond to back down from his demand that they help out their classmates. Damn the blonde's instinctive sense of justice!

"N-No...wait..." she quickly corrected herself before focusing her sight on an area where she could have sworn she saw a shadow. This served to extend her vision much more clearly in that area, causing her to gasp. "I-It's Kiba-kun!"

Shikamaru groaned. It just figured. "What's his status?"

The girl nodded. "H-he seems exhausted," she reported. "H-He keeps l-looking a-around. Akamaru is w-with him."

Shikamaru nodded. "He's probably being chased," he concluded before clicking his tongue irritably. "Damnit, this isn't good."

"Why the hell not?" demanded Naruto. "We can just go up, grab him, and bring him back here!"

"And risk having our scent tracked all the way to the hideout?" shot back Shikamaru. "Even if we masked our scents, what about our tracks? These are Chunin, not amateurs!"

"So what do you propose we do? Just leave Kiba hanging?" Naruto retorted heatedly.

"Just...shut up for a second," Shikamaru ordered as he made a circle with both hands and crouched in his area of the cave. "Let me think. Hinata, warn me if Kiba's trackers are nearing him."

"H-Hai..."

It took five minutes before Shikamaru opened his eyes, and by that point Naruto had been about to blow his lid. "I've got it," the Nara heir stated before eyeing Naruto. "Naruto, make thirteen shadow clones and send them to Kiba. There, have 12 of them go in different directions while the last one masks the tracks and brings Kiba here. Have Kiba help, and remember to take take the longest possible route here while masking your tracks and scent. With any luck, the Chunin ought to latch onto the twelve clones' tracks and scents."

"Why don't I go personally?" Naruto asked. Shikamaru glared at him.

"Did you think Kiba would just fit in nicely in this hole?" the boy asked snidely. "You'll be digging out Kiba's spot. Once that's done, prepare a secondary exit for us, just in case we need to leave and the Chunin find the main tunnel. Hinata, keep an eye on Kiba. If the trackers get too close, we'll have Naruto send a few more clones to distract them more...offensively."

"Alright!" Naruto said with a grin, liking plan B already.

"H-Hai," Hinata acknowledged.

"Good. Move out," the Nara heir ordered.

* * *

><p><strong>Hour 17...<strong>

Fortunately for Shikamaru's peace of mind, Plan B hadn't been necessary.

Unfortunately for his peace of mind, he was now stuck with the two biggest loudmouths in his class. Even worse, they all had to share a cave, and when two of its four occupants had the attention span of a demented chipmunk on a sugar rush, it was all Shikamaru could do not to strangle them in their sleep.

He'd considered that plan, but discarded it due to being too troublesome.

That said, if the two didn't stop alternating between fighting over food and fighting over the cramped space, he couldn't be held responsible for his actions.

Off to the side, Hinata eyed their leader worriedly, concerned he really might just snap.

31 hours remaining.

* * *

><p><strong>Hour 20...<strong>

Shikamaru stared deadpan at Naruto. "I hate you, Naruto. It's very important to me that you understand that," he told the blond in a dead tone as he processed their situation.

Hinata giggled off to the side as their newest addition to the cave, Ino, smacked Shikamaru upside the head.

"Oh come on, Shikamaru! I couldn't just let her get caught!" the blond argued.

"NOT LISTENING! LALALALA!" Shikamaru voiced loudly as he put his fingers in his ears. Once again, Ino took charge of punishing him for his rudeness by delivering another smack.

Kiba stared at Shikamaru before leaning towards Hinata. "Did this...happen often before I came along?"

The giggling Hyuuga heiress just nodded.

28 hours remaining...

* * *

><p><strong>Hour 25...<strong>

"You're doing this on purpose," Shikamaru accused as Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly while Sakura made herself at home amongst the others, chatting lively.

23 hours remaining...

* * *

><p><strong>Hour 28...<strong>

"Damnit, Akamaru, I am not a chew toy!" roared Naruto for the seventh time that evening as the puppy bit at his leg, dreaming it to be a nice, soft bone to much on.

His companions, led by a steadily more crazed Shikamaru but excluding the shy Hyūga heiress, proceeded to beat him up to within an inch of his life for interrupting their sleep again.

20 hours remaining.

* * *

><p><strong>Hour 36...<strong>

"Oh, thank the log we're in the final stretch..." Shikamaru muttered as he woke up tiredly, having had a horrible night thanks to Akamaru biting the crap out of Naruto.

"Thank the _what_?" asked Sakura, positive she'd heard wrong.

"Err...kami. Yeah. Thank _kami_ we're almost done, is what I said," Shikamaru quickly answered her, unbelieving that he'd actually made that slip.

Sakura eyed him for a moment before shrugging and turning back to her breakfast, a bunch of wild berries Naruto's clones had gathered.

Shikamaru, for his part, sighed in relief.

12 hours remaining.

* * *

><p><strong>Hour 37...<strong>

"...well, at least it's Choji," Shikamaru stated, earning himself another beating as Sakura and Ino demanded wrathfully why he'd protested their presence, but not that of their...larger friend.

Naruto sighed before welcoming Choji to the cave and quickly summoning a few clones to help him dig out enough space for him.

Hinata, still in charge of keeping a lookout for the trackers, smiled at the boy as he greeted everyone politely.

* * *

><p><strong>Hour 40...<strong>

Hinata watched as Naruto and Shikamaru argued _again_ about their newest addition. Though, truth be told, she was sort of curious about his arrival as well.

"W-Why _did_ you s-seek us out, Shino-kun?" she ask curiously. "I-I was t-tracking you, and you w-weren't being c-chased..."

The taciturn boy shifted in his coat in what she guessed what the Aburame equivalent of a shrug. "...I didn't want to be excluded..." he eventually mumbled out.

Hinata sweatdropped, even as Shikamaru was once again ganged up on by Ino and Sakura after he called them gossipy old wives.

8 hours remaining.

* * *

><p><strong>Hour 46...<strong>

Shikamaru stared at Naruto.

The blond boy fidgeted under the Nara heir's gaze, but otherwise remained with his sheepish grin. "What?"

"No more surprises?" Shikamaru asked impatiently as the group began their preparations to leave.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Of course not, Shikamaru!" he defended himself. "It's only two hours to the finish!"

Shikamaru grunted at that assertion, but kept his suspicious gaze levelled at the blond. "For all I know, you're about to go on a rescue mission right about now to save a log-damned puppy!"

"A _what_ damned puppy?" Ino asked, her ears perking up at the unusual swear. Sakura, too, eyed Shikamaru with suspicion

"Kami-damned! I said Kami-damned!" Shikamaru corrected himself with a note of hysteria. All the while, Naruto eyed his friend with worry. Ever since the test had begun, Shikamaru had been acting very unusual.

Where moms really that scary?

2 hours remaining.

* * *

><p>Finally, the time arrived when the test finally came to an end.<p>

Under the direction of Shikamaru, who was one more unexpected factor away from going crazy, eight of the graduate candidates filed out of the tunnel and grinned at each other as they realized they'd spent the whole 48 hours out of sight and uncaught.

Kiba and Naruto fist-bumped, Choji ate some berries, Sakura and Ino high-fived, Hinata blushed and poked her index fingers together, Shino buzzed (no one really felt the courage to ask how the hell he did that), and Shikamaru was thanking whatever deities there be that the troublesome test was over and he could return to his leisurely way of life.

Using Hinata as a guide, they then proceeded to jump their way towards where the adults were waiting, though they were all surprised (or not-so-surprised in the case of Sakura, Hinata, Ino, Shino, and Shikamaru) to see Sasuke standing there, waiting. From his appearance, he'd been having it rough for the past two days.

The stare he gave the eight other rookies, who all seemed well-fed and rested, was priceless.

The Uchiha heir opened and closed his mouth slightly many times, as though trying to vocalize a question that just wouldn't come out. Eventually, he settled for a single word question. "...How?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "We teamed up. Made a hole in the ground."

"You know, when you say it like that..." Naruto started.

"You, _shush_," Shikamaru snapped on reflex, having had to deal with the hyperactive blond for two straight days in cramped conditions. Predictably, Naruto pouted and Hinata giggled, the two having been around "crazy" Shikamaru the longest during the test.

The sound of someone clearing their throat had the rookies turn to face the Hokage, who seemed bemused at the interaction amongst the nine students. "Well, well...this is certainly a pleasant surprise. Nine passes exactly," he mused, before eyeing them individually.

Flanking him, the Uzumaki elders nodded, while Iruka approached them with a proud smile. "Good work, guys!" he praised them. "As Hokage-sama mentioned, you lot are the only passes for your class!" he informed them with a happy grin. "And what's more, all nine of you managed to hit the forty-eight hour mark! Well done!"

Naruto wasn't the only one to eye Sasuke at that announcement. If what Iruka said was true, then the boy had managed to survive on his own for the full 48 hours without getting caught. Judging from his appearance, moreover, he hadn't had it easy, which just served to add on to the impressive.

"Yes, congratulations," Hiruzen echoed with a chuckle as he held up his pipe, smiling at the future generation of ninjas. "It's quite remarkable, really. Usually, we have around eighteen graduates. You should all feel proud of what you've achieved, and for setting such a high standard of success for the generations to come."

The nine rookies all glowed with pride (yes, even Sasuke momentarily broke from his scowling expression to show pride in his work, though it just as quickly disappeared) at the Hokage's praise.

"Now, then, if you'll follow Iruka back to the Academy, I believe your new forehead protectors are waiting," Hiruzen added with a smile. He thoroughly enjoyed the way the new graduates' eyes lit up at that, and watched them quickly scamper off after Iruka.

Left alone with the two Uzumaki elders, Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe before blowing out some smoke, eyeing the two cautiously. "I believe you two may be right," he stated. "Perhaps there is merit to your suggestion."

The two elders merely smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>Post-AN: Yes, Shikamaru is a closet log-worshipper.<strong>

**Also, a tad crazy; but then I've always been convinced that anyone with post-intelligent IQs are a stressful situation away from going crazy. And to be fair, Shikamaru got his buttons pushed. Not to worry, though, he'll get better. Maybe. Depends on whether it stops amusing me to write him this way.**

_**December 16, 2013 Update: Chapter has been revised.**_

**Glossary:**

Names (Fairy Tail Homologue)

**Keisuke** (Makarov) - Uzumaki Clan Elder  
><strong>Heiyako<strong> (Poryushka) - Uzumaki Clan Elder  
><strong>Hiroki <strong>(Gildarts) - Uzumaki Clansman, father of Nobuko  
><strong>Raiden<strong> (Laxus) - Uzumaki Clansman, Grandson of Keisuke  
><strong>Akemi<strong> (Mirajane) - Uzumaki Clansman, First degree cousin of Raiden, older sister of Daisuke and Miyuki  
><strong>Daisuke<strong> (Elfman) - Uzumaki Clansman, younger brother of Akemi, older brother of Lisanna  
><strong>Miyuki<strong> (Lisanna) - Uzumaki Clansman, younger sister of Akemi and Daisuke  
><strong>Eiji<strong> (Fried) - Uzumaki Clansman, first degree cousin of Raiden and Akemi/Daisuke/Miyuki  
><strong>Yuki<strong> (Gray) - Uzumaki Clansman by marriage (stepson of Uzumaki Nana)  
><strong>Kimiko<strong> (Erza) - Uzumaki Clansman, second degree cousin of Raiden**  
><strong>**Nobuko** (Cana) - Uzumaki Clansman, daughter of Hiroki  
><strong>Takeshi<strong> (Gajeel) - Uzumaki Clansman  
><strong>Natsu<strong> (Natsu) - Uzumaki Clansman  
><strong>Hikari<strong> (Lucy) - Uzumaki Clansman, first degree cousin of Nobuko and Amaya  
><strong>Amaya<strong> (Juvia) - Uzumaki Clansman  
><strong>Sora<strong> (Wendy) - Uzumaki Clansman, third degree cousin of Natsu and Takeshi  
><strong>Maki<strong> (Levy) - Uzumaki Clansman, fourth degree cousin of Eiji, sixth degree cousin of Takeshi


	7. Lost Clan Arc: The Genin Pool

_**AN: And now we get to see what else the Uzumaki elders have been hard at work messing with! But seriously, I'd like to thank all of you who've expressed great support for both this story and the characterization of the Uzumaki Clan - despite being expies of their Fairy Tail selves. Though, I have to say this now: if you're only now realizing the Uzumaki Clan has its membership drawn from Fairy Tail (or haven't yet), you're obviously not reading far enough for the explanations.**_

_**Also, please let this be the last time I have to explaint this: the Uzumaki Clansmen are indeed imports of the Fairy Tail guild from the manga/anime Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima. However, they are not Edolas or Earthland's Fairy Tail guild, nor is there going to be magic or things like that. Symbolic techniques (such as the Fire Dragon's Roar) might or will likely show up as ninja techniques. To put it more simply (I guess): these are the parallel reality versions of the Fairy Tail guild, much like the Edolas and Earthland Fairy Tail guilds had only their likeness in common, but little else. **_

_**Hope that clears things up.**_

_**Cheers,**_

_**Marquis Black**_

_**PS: Still no pairings. **_

_**PPS: Regarding the way the kids reacted to the test as they dropped out (aka, last chapter), it's actually something I drew from real life. I dunno how many of my readers know about it, but the IB Exams have a well-deserved reputation for being tough. In my graduating class, at least three people had utter breakdowns mid-exam, and the year before me had like...5, that I recall. An amusing bit of Real Life meeting Fiction, if you will.**_

* * *

><p>It wasn't often that the Hokage could get a rise out of his Jonin — hell, they were sort of trained to resist that sort of thing — but every time he did, he relished it <em>thoroughly<em>.

This was one such time.

The new exam, devised between himself and Iruka, with occasional input from the Uzumaki elders, had been a smashing success — to the point where it really practically eliminated the need for the teamwork test for this year's graduates (except for one particular prodigy, but then it was too much to ask for a perfect score on that end on the first try), though in the end he'd decided to let that requirement stand for now.

Nonetheless, with exactly nine students graduating after a gruelling two-day survival mission, they'd weeded out the unskilled right off the bat. Considering the only other village able to boast that was Kirigakure, and more due to the fact that whoever graduated during the Bloody Mist years did so as a result of having the largest body count, it was no small feat.

The issue now was the teams, and thus the current situation whereby the three Jonin instructors he'd picked for this year's graduates were in an uproar. His advisors had wisely warned him that this would be their reaction, though like them he'd agreed it was their problem, not his. The Hokage led, and the Jonin followed — whatever their own feelings were on the matter.

The source of this discontent was quite simple: there would be no teams this year.

Well, that wasn't _quite_ accurate. There _would_ be teams, just not in the classical sense of the word. The idea had blossomed out of a conversation between himself and the two Uzumaki elders, who'd recounted the olden days with him over sake — which, in hindsight, was becoming a regular thing between the three old timers. In the process, they'd revealed that Uzushiogakure had shunned Konoha's four-man (team leader included) cell structure early on — something Hiruzen admittedly hadn't known.

The problem with it, they'd found, was that it hyper-specialized teams to such a degree where they became useless if certain missions came up, or if, say, a recon team's mission suddenly turned into an all-out fight where retreat was either inadvisable or intolerable. In that situation, the team was screwed, and so Uzushiogakure, not exactly having the sheer power of numbers that Konoha did, had instituted what they called the Genin Pool.

In effect, it was no different from the Chunin or Jonin Pools, which were the standard for Konoha, too. However, Uzushio had extended this structure to the Genin in order to more easily allocate the proper shinobi to the proper team for the proper mission. Moreover, such ease of switching things up allowed for the Genin to become accustomed to working with a variety of partners, and bond with their fellow shinobi.

This, in turn, meant for a much more tightly-knit shinobi community than even that of Konoha, and strongly encouraged their shinobi to look out for each other, regardless of team affiliations.

Besides Uzushio's possession of powerful seal masters, this had been one of the village's secrets to success, allowing it to earn enough fame as to warrant the concern and later fear of three major shinobi villages and their allies.

In Konoha, however, the idea had not taken root due, in part, to opposition from Danzo and the former Hokages, and the lack of necessity thanks to their huge numbers.

Senju Tobirama, founder of the 4-man cell arrangement, had been particularly against the Uzushio structure due to the fact that he esteemed such an arrangement to be unwieldy in terms of individual education — a great concern in villages as large as Konoha. After all, how could a limited amount of Jonin sensei deal with more than three times their number in students? Who would they focus on? How would they divide their time?

Danzo, for his part, merely echoed these sentiments, while in reality opposing the idea (which _had_ been brought up before by the Yondaime) on grounds that extensive exposure to fellow shinobi would quickly erode the emotion-suppressing training regimen his Root ANBU had to undergo. As old as he was, the old warhawk was no one's fool, and he was well aware that the more a person had to interact with others, the greater the chance their conditioning would fall through.

It was for that reason that he almost never sent more than one Root agent out on a mission at a time, unless extenuating circumstances called for...greater manpower.

Hiruzen, however, believed he had a solution for the Nidaime's professed issues with the Uzushio system. In short, he decided to mix Konoha and Uzushio's Genin structure. More specifically, a baseline of three Jonin instructors, each masters in a particular field of study, would remain as Jonin instructors for the pool. However, for every three Genin over nine that graduated, an additional instructor would be added in as a consultant, full time teacher, and/or substitute teacher as needed, allowing for a team rotational scheme in C-rank missions and above. However, in order to prevent mass shortages of competent Jonin for missions, this new structure would only come into effect for the newest batch of Genin onwards. In effect, this generation would be the test-drive generation; if the system worked, it would stay — if not, then it would be reverted to the old system.

His three designated Jonin sensei, however, were perplexed and a little reluctant to commit to such a new, untested system.

"This is for the best," Hiruzen assured the trio as Homura and Koharu, who'd come around to his way of thinking, nodded along at his flanks. "Discussions with our newest allies have shown us that our system of Genin sorting is highly defective, and in fact bears no relevance to the reality they will face upon becoming Chunin, where it is highly likely their teams will be broken apart to suit mission needs," he pointed out.

Koharu nodded, the elderly woman giving the three Jonin a stern stare. "Hokage-sama is correct," she agreed. "With this new system implemented, we have determined that our shinobi will be much more effectively trained, as none of you are experts in _all_ areas of shinobi training."

Homura nodded gravely. "Hatake-san, you are a world-class shinobi, but where your strengths rely on Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, your Genjutsu and Fuin are below those of Yuhi-san. Likewise, Sarutobi-san has a greater mastery over elemental chakra than either of you, and is much more proficient with weapons and stands above most in battlefield tactics...except perhaps for you, Hatake-san, and the Nara," he conceded, knowing Kakashi wasn't just a war machine, but also an excellent tactician. "With this new arrangement, you will be able to cover each other's weaknesses and thus give your students a better chance at survival, and in so doing make this village stronger," he stated, though by the way he had spoken, it was crystal clear that the last point, more than the others, were what mattered to Homura. By the looks of her firm nod, Koharu agreed on that point.

No one could accuse Homura and Koharu of disloyalty towards Konoha; they just happened to be more...collectivist about it.

"Couldn't we just...I dunno...set up joint training sessions, then?" asked Asuma while scratching the back of his head irritably, a lit cigarette limp between his lips. "I mean...I know Inoichi, Shikaku, and Chouza were all looking forward to a new Ino-Shika-Cho combo..."

"They will have to swallow their expectations," Koharu snapped, making the Jonin flinch. "The Genin system is not here to satisfy their dreams, but to train and bring up the newest generation of defenders of Konohagakure!"

"Koharu," Hiruzen spoke up, giving his former teammate a stern stare. The old woman clicked her tongue irritably but conceded to the Hokage and remained quiet. Hiruzen sighed as he returned his attention to the three Jonin. "While perhaps not delivered in the most diplomatic manner, my Advisor is correct," he told them, dashing their hopes that the Hokage might be convinced otherwise. "The Ino-Shika-Cho combo of tradition is an extremely useful team combination...if the mission involves capture and interrogation of targets. But what of escort missions? Assault missions? What about missions where the Nara shadow techniques or the Shintenshin is worthless, but the Akimichi enlargement techniques would be invaluable?" he posed.

"And to an even more basic level, under the old organizational system, you would each be saddled with at least one kunoichi," he reminded them before eyeing Kakashi and Asuma with some amusement. "What would you two be able to teach them about using their feminine abilities that Kurenai couldn't do better, and with much less embarrassment for all involved?"

He then eyed the red-eyed Genjutsu mistress and gave her an amused gaze as well. "And you, Kurenai, what would you be able to teach the boys about their own physical prowess and needs that Kakashi and Asuma wouldn't be able to do better, and with much less mortification?"

All three Jonin had the decency to look somewhat abashed, though it was hard to tell with Kakashi due to that damned mask of his. Chuckling, the Hokage put his hand on a tiny stack of papers before him and slid it sideways so that three sheets stood independent of each other. "In any case, it's been made official. These are your assignments," he told them.

"You may, as every year before, administer the basic teamwork exam," he assured them, giving them at least _one_ familiar piece of the old system to grab on to. "However, the teams to do so will be randomized in the spirit of fairness and to provide realistic tension. After all, we don't always have the luxury of knowing who we will be teamed up with."

The three Jonin approached to receive their orders and took them from the Hokage's hands, eyeing the paper like it was some sort of explosive tag.

"You have your orders. Dismissed."

* * *

><p>At the Academy, a similar scene was transpiring.<p>

"What do you _mean_, _no teams_?!" Ino all but shrieked. She'd waited for so long for this moment, only to have it ruined by Iruka's announcement.

"Tch...troublesome."

"Yeah, what gives?" yelled Kiba in protest. "We passed, didn't we?"

"Indeed, this is most unusual," Shino, usually not one to speak up...ever, vocalized, a buzzing of irritation surrounding him. "Why? Because it is the system of Konohagakure to establish four-man cells to carry out missions at the Genin level."

"Dude, stop nitpicking."

"Does this mean we all failed the test?" Sakura asked, wide-eyed as she held onto her forehead protector protectively.

Iruka sighed, at least glad that Naruto seemed to remain in too much a state of shock to vocalize his outrage. "No, it doesn't," Iruka assured Sakura. "Listen, guys, it's very simple: the Hokage has decreed reforms to the actual shinobi structure of Konohagakure, and your generation is just the first one to benefit from them."

"Benefit...how?" Shikamaru asked cautiously, for once genuinely interested. After his little (alright, somewhat substantial) breakdown over the graduation exam, he'd managed to mellow out again over the next day, quickly turning once more into an easy-going slacker. Still, the idea of having no teams was intriguing, as he'd never heard of Konoha ever doing such a thing before on a Genin level.

Iruka eyed the boy genius, having assumed he'd already put some, if not most of the pieces together. "The reason there will be no teams is because, simply put, you are now all _one team_."

As he'd expected, Shikamaru had nodded along in the manner only someone who was in on the plan could. The rest, however, seemed surprised to varying degrees. This ranged from silent shock to outright squeals, followed by Kiba's roared insistence that Ino stop doing that.

Iruka sighed as he checked the Hokage's letter clipped to his clipboard. "Hokage-sama has decided that, upon advice duly given and considered, our old Genin team system was obsolete, much like the exam was," he explained. He eyed Naruto, expecting the boy to cry out that he didn't understand. To his surprise, the boy was actually _following_. He'd have to look into that later. "And so, in the interest of giving you all the best shot possible to becoming elite shinobi of Konohagakure, he has decided to establish, from your generation on, the Genin Pool."

"What's a pool got to do with this?" Naruto asked confusedly. Iruka sighed, a little surprised it'd taken this long for Naruto to lose track of the lecture.

"Not that kind of pool, Naruto," the scarred chunin lectured. "A drawing pool, in this case. In essence, you are all, as of right now, Genin. However, as missions come up you will be divided into teams based on the mission's requirements, not on predetermined selections."

This time, Naruto nodded along with the rest of his classmates. "So for one missions Sasuke, Shikamaru, and, say...Ino might be paired up. However, for the next, it could be Shikamaru, Hinata, and Naruto," he missed the look of utter horror on Shikamaru's face at that prospect, though Hinata didn't and giggled softly at her friend's expense while Naruto gave Shikamaru the sweetest, most innocent smile he could muster.

"Or possibly Sasuke being teamed up with Ino _and_ Sakura...really, it all depends," Iruka continued, oblivious to the interactions happening amongst his students. In fact, he was so in his "lecture mode" that he failed to notice the hearts that appeared in said two girls' eyes at his suggestion, or the look of undisguised horror on the Uchiha's face.

It was, in all honesty, the most emotional thing any of his classmates had ever seen him do since he'd been...what, seven years old?

In any case, Iruka soon noted the giggles around the room and frowned, having missed the victims' expressions. Instead, he cleared his throat to regain their attention and continued.

"However, due to the fact that even without teams you will all require training, three Jonin have been assigned to the Genin Pool, making it one per mission-ready team," he continued. "During off-time, these Jonin sensei will collaborate in educating you all further in the arts of the shinobi, so I expect you nine to be on your best behaviour around them, understood?"

A chorus of "Hai, Iruka-sensei!" answered him, though even so he remained dubious at their sincerity. Regardless, they were now Genin, and thus technically out of his hands. "Very well, then. Your sensei ought to arrive in...fifteen minutes or so," he estimated as he glanced at the wall clock. "I suggest, in the meantime, that you find a productive use for your time."

With that said, Iruka went to his desk and sat down, bringing out the application forms for the next semester's incoming students. Even after graduation, teachers still had a lot of work to do!

* * *

><p>One hour.<p>

That was how long the Genin in the graduating class had to wait. Not fifteen minutes, as Iruka had said, but _**One. Full. Hour**_.

Honestly, if they hadn't been assured by Shikamaru that there was no way _all_ the Jonin sensei had planned to stand them up, the newly-minted Genin might've just walked out and gone home. As it was, however, they had been forced to endure each other's company, which quickly became more of a chore than a pleasurable activity due to rising levels of boredom and the inability to cope with said boredom. To such a point, in fact, that several of the rookies could've sworn they'd heard Shikamaru mutter something about the log again when Naruto began firing off random questions at him.

When the Jonin sensei did arrive, then, they found themselves staring at a class full of disgruntled rookies glaring holes into them. All three had the decency to look a bit sheepish at their lateness, but it was the one with the slanted headband who really took the cake, as when he asked,

"Umm...we're not late are we?" he asked sheepishly.

It was all the students could do not to slaughter the man where he stood.

* * *

><p>Kakashi chuckled nervously as he watched nine rookies glare holes into him.<p>

Having arrived late (yet earlier than he was used to, paradoxically), Kurenai and Asuma had eyed each other for a split second before deciding to throw him under the bus for their sake, so to speak. The result of that particularly nefarious plan had been that the students now all blamed _him_ for the one-hour tardiness, even if all three had been complicit, to an extent.

Simply put, they'd opted for drinks at the local bar after the Hokage's little briefing, and had lost track of time.

Of course, that didn't prevent the other two Jonin from using him as their scapegoat, being that they really had no intention of working with kids that hated them from day one. Kakashi, on the other hand, they knew to be laid back enough that if he was _really_ pissed off at them, _would_ get back at them. If not, and this was infinitely more plausible, then they'd get off scott-free.

It was a gamble with good odds.

Either way, having passed the initial homicidal anger stage, the students had followed the three Jonin instructors to the rooftop, where the students, in a show of unanimous disapproval over their sensei's (thus-far) proven work habits, gathered up in a group along three rows, bunched together, while the three Jonin stood awkwardly in front of them.

There was no mistaking the _pissed off_ looks the students were shooting them.

"Right, um..." Kakashi started, at least having the decency not to bring out his porn to read, considering the tense atmosphere. "I guess Iruka already told you this, but we're your three instructors."

He could've sworn he'd heard a 'duh' amongst the Genin, though most of them just stared at him as though asking, 'Really, moron?'

"Anyway, as our first exercise, I propose we introduce ourselves, to get to know each other better! How about it?" he tried making himself sound excited in a vain attempt at getting the kids pumped up.

It failed.

After an awkward pause, Kakashi coughed into a fist and sweatdropped. "Alright...I'll go first, I guess."

And so began a long litany of pseudo-introductions from the Jonin sensei, which only served to heighten the Genin's glares, followed by more informative introductions from said graduates, although these seemed more directed at their fellow classmates than the Jonin.

Apparently, Shino's grudge-bearing habit had rubbed off on them.

Kakashi eyed his colleagues for a moment, the three silently conferring how best to deal with the situation. To be fair, the Genin had good reason to be angry at them, but if they were going to pass the next hurdle on their way to full-privilege Genin status, they'd need to get past that anger and focus on the mission.

A couple of stares later, Kakashi sighed as he straightened up and stretched his neck to get the kinks out. Once he did, he eyed the waiting Genin for a second before unleashing the full power of his killing intent.

It was, without a doubt, the single most horrifying experience the newly minted Genin had ever felt.

All at once, it seemed to them that their lungs had refused to continue working, and an unbearable amount of invisible pressure was being forced down upon their shoulders, making quite a few of them buckled over, even as they sat, from the sheer force of it. A couple, namely Ino and Sakura (but, much to Kakashi's surprise, not Hinata) even passed out. Even the Uchiha survivor and the Uzumaki boy were sweating bullets and doing all they could not to pass out, and from the profiles the Jonin had received, these two were by far the most likely not to buckle under such circumstances due to their rough lives.

And all this happened within the span of exactly five seconds.

The moment Kakashi relented on his ki flare, the three Jonin heard collective breath intakes as the Genin suddenly found themselves able to breath much easier. Sakura and Ino, who were both passed out, were slowly resuscitated by their fellow classmates before they all nervously looked at Kakashi.

"That was your first lesson," the masked Jonin stated with utter disinterest as his sole visible eye drooped. "Killing intent, shortened to _ki_ in our profession," he added. "Consider that also your first and only warning."

Kurenai, while not having enjoyed the effects that Kakashi's killing intent had on the Genin, nodded grimly. "Kakashi-senpai is correct," she concurred as she stepped forward and crossed her arms under her bust. "You are all Genin now; learn to master your emotions. This isn't a matter of acting out against a teacher; acting out is insubordination now, and that is a military offense."

Even as the Genin swallowed, suddenly realizing the dangerous game they'd been playing, Asuma weighed in with his two cents, even as he managed to keep his overall attitude of casualness. "You are all soldiers, whether you like it or not, from the moment you passed the Academy exam," the smoking Jonin idly stated before taking out his cigarette and blowing some smoke into the air. He spared the (still) trembling Genin a glance. "You're all pretty lucky we're pretty laid-back. Any other teacher would've had you all stripped of your rank and thrown back to the Academy for that sort of attitude."

"S-So we're just supposed to accept bad habits from y-you?" Naruto demanded, never one to be intimidated into silence.

"Yes," Kakashi stated with the same disinterest he'd shown previously. "And no."

The Genin blinked in confusion.

"If Kakashi arrives late," Asuma took over the explanation, knowing Kakashi's fondness for riling up rookies with his cryptic explanations. "Then you deal with it. Maybe he's got something better to do, or maybe he's performing some task for the Hokage — ever thought of that?" he posed the question to the Genin, who slowly shook their heads.

"We are your teachers, yes, but we are also Jonin," Kurenai reminded them. "We teach you at the discretion of Hokage-sama. If his orders somehow impede our commitments to you, then you must learn to deal with it in a constructive manner, and not in ways that qualify as insubordination."

"However, that's outside of missions," Kakashi added in, suddenly losing the mask of disinterest and becoming serious, instantly gaining the Genin's attention. "If a team leader acts with bad habits on missions, then it is no longer a matter of contradicting orders or extenuating circumstances; it's dereliction of duty and endangerment," he informed them, idly noting that the Hyūga girl seemed to be whispering something to the Kyūbi Jinchūriki, who looked confused by the explanation. "In that case, feel free to react. Understood?" he asked, knowing from the looks of them that he'd gotten through.

As expected, the Genin slowly nodded their heads in acquiescence, and all three Jonin shared a smirk.

"Good, because now it's time for the final test," Kakashi said, suddenly full of good humor. Even Kurenai and Asuma seemed to brighten up, as though they, too, were party to the joke. Unfortunately for the Genin, they were.

"Final test?" parroted Kiba, beating out both Sakura and Naruto.

"To become Genin," Asuma explained succinctly.

"What the hell?" shouted Naruto as he shot to his feet, pointing at the trio of Jonin. "Aren't we Genin already?! What the hell was that speech for, then?!"

"You're Genin, alright," Kakashi said lazily as he eyed the blond. "But you're not yet fit for duty; not in the eyes of the Jonin, anyway. To be sure of that, the Hokage institutes a second, final exam after the Academy exams to test all Genin graduates out to the fullest, just in case some of you simply got lucky during the graduation exam or are all about theory, rather than practice."

None of the Jonin missed the short glance the Genin shot the pink-haired girl before returning their attention back to their three potential teachers.

"Though you're all Genin candidates right now, the final test will be done in teams of three, thus simulating the conditions of a real-live mission," Kurenai informed them sternly. "Please be aware that the teams have been chosen at random, and do not in any way reflect future assignments. Asuma?" she prompted her colleague, who nodded and pulled out a short, folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket and began to read off of it.

"Team A," he began, almost flinching at having had to dispense with the traditional numeration of the Genin teams. "Haruno Sakura, Aburame Shino, Akimichi Choji," he recited, noting the slightly uncomfortable demeanour of all three as they realized they knew very little about the other. Good, that'd serve the test well; if his father was right, anyway. "Team B: Yamanaka Ino, Inuzuka Kiba, Uchiha Sasuke."

A squeal and a roar of disapproval ripped through the air, and was just as quickly silenced by a sudden burst of killing intent from Kakashi, who bore a hole into the two girls with a stern glare. Thankful for the immediate solution to the auditory assault, Asuma nodded to Kakashi before finishing up. "Team C: Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto."

While Asuma had been too busy reading, Kakashi and Kurenai had been paying close attention to the Genin's reactions to the team assignment.

Sakura had slumped in defeat at her team posting, before roaring against Ino's appointment, though as was stated earlier, Kakashi put a stop to that immediately.

Shino seemed a little uncomfortable with the team assignments, probably due to the fact that he hadn't managed to deduce a coherent, logical reason for such a grouping.

Choji, for his part, seemed uncomfortable, period. He kept glancing at Shikamaru, who'd shot him an apologetic and reassuring glance, somehow settling the big boned boy for now.

Ino, as was mentioned earlier, went squealing fangirl mode, promptly assaulting everyone's ears with her cry of victory.

Kiba was wincing at the unnaturally high decibel squeal his new teammate had unleashed on his enhanced hearing, and Akamaru, too, seemed bothered by it. Both were making their disgruntlement at this undeserved assault on their hearing heard quite vociferously.

Sasuke merely widened his eyes comically and took on an expression of undisguised horror for a moment before reverting to his brooding pose.

The more interesting reactions, however, were from Team C.

Upon realizing what the team assignments would be once Asuma had finished with Team B, Shikamaru had fainted after correctly deducing who his two new teammates were. Upon seeing this, Hinata had burst into muffled giggles — much to Kurenai's surprise — before realizing the same thing as Shikamaru and then blushing like a tomato as she glanced at Naruto, who merely grinned mischievously as he, too, deduced the final team pairing.

Staring at this scene, all three Jonin couldn't help but figure this would perhaps be an interesting assignment after all.

* * *

><p><em><strong>December 16, 2013 Update: Chapter has been revised.<strong>_


	8. Lost Clan Arc: The Bell Test

_**AN: Hey everyone! Another double-feature! More notes at the bottom!**  
><em>

_**Also, after some consideration, I've begun thinking I need to assign the "Opening Music" of each Arc. Sort of a challenge for myself to see if I can get that one song that captures the Arc's overall feel. The Challenge is that it has to be either from Fairy Tail or Naruto. :P**_

_**In the case of the Lost Clan Arc, I'm declaring the Op Song to be...Snow Fairy, by Ft. For those who haven't seen the Fairy Tail anime, it's the 1st Op. If you disagree I'd be more than willing to read your own recommendations!**_

_**Cheers,**_

_**-MB**_

* * *

><p><em>The Next Morning...<em>

"Oh come on, Shika...say something."

"..."

"Pleeeeeease?"

Shikamaru glared at his harasser.

"It's not my fault!" Naruto protested as he raised his hands defensively. To the side, Hinata couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

To both teens' fascination, a vein began visibly throbbing on Shikamaru's forehead, indicating just how irritated the boy genius was. With one glare and a sweep of his hand towards a particular direction, it soon became quite clear what had caused him to be so upset.

"_Then at least do something about your fans!_" the Nara heir all but roared at the boy as he motioned towards the small crowd assorted people crowding together at the edge of the training field.

"NARUTO-SAMA!" they could hear someone roar in support, followed by the sound of horns and drums. "GANBATTE!"

A massive banner was held high between two clansmen that Naruto could barely recognize, causing the teen (and his impromptu teammates and Jonin supervisor) to sweatdrop as they read the rather rushed message of "UZUMAKI FOREVER WIN!"

There were even a few who'd grabbed makeshift drums and horns to make as much noise as possible, while others seemed to enjoy just giving whoops of joy and encouragement.

"That's quite a commotion," Asuma noted idly with an amused smile.

Naruto grinned nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Hehe...yeah, the elders warned me something like this would happen at some point during the test. I'm just surprised they didn't come around during the graduation exam."

The glare Shikamaru fixed him at that point could've melted ice.

"Is that all of them?" Asuma wondered out loud.

Naruto waved him off dismissively. "Nah...that's like...forty of them. We've got maybe two hundred at the clan compound."

THUMP.

Both Asuma and Naruto turned to see Shikamaru on the floor, passed out. Hinata's giggles had them redirect their attention to the Hyuuga girl, who instantly blushed and looked down sheepishly.

"A-Ano...S-Shikamaru-kun said s-something about...m-more of t-them b-before passing out..." she explained shyly, though the twitch at the corner of her mouth was unmistakable. For once, she was glad _she_ wasn't the one on the ground.

Naruto gave a sheepish grin at Asuma, who just sighed in exasperation as he fixed Naruto with a stern gaze. "What did you _do_ to him during the exam, Naruto?" he asked, honestly not a little bewildered by the actions of the supposedly calm-headed, lazy Nara heir.

"As Shika would put it himself...we shared a hole."

Asuma blinked. "I...but how..." he started, glancing at Shikamaru.

"For two days."

"Oh..._Ohhhh._"

Naruto nodded sagely as Asuma gave Shikamaru's passed out form a pitying look. "Yep."

The Jonin gave a chuckle at the circumstances he'd gleaned from Naruto's brief explanation before nodding to Hinata. "Anyway, wake him up. It's time for the test. I imagine you all followed instructions?"

Both teens looked queasy as they held their grumbling stomachs, though Hinata was able to hide it better as she squatted down on her haunches and gently shook Shikamaru awake. That was answer enough for Asuma, who nodded with a slight smile.

"Good. Understand that you won't always be in a situation where you're fully rested or fed," he lectured the three, even as Shikamaru regained consciousness. "Which is why we're here at this hour of the morning for the test."

The three Genin candidates nodded at the information, prompting Asuma to continue. Thankfully, the Uzumaki fan squad had piped down for now. "The test is simple," he told them as he drew his pocketed hand out and in so doing revealed two bells. "I have two bells in my hand. The goal is to have one when the timer," he motioned to the old fashioned kitchen timer on a nearby rock outcropping, "goes off. The one that doesn't is tied up and forced to watch while his comrades eat the lunches I brought," he added, causing the three to pale and their stomachs to grumble even louder.

"Now, this test has usually had a sixty-six percent failure rate on average in the past," Asuma told them seriously. "Meaning we could very well have only three new Genin this year, all nine of you, or even none at all," he added, smirking mentally as the three paled even more. "So, when I say go, you are to try and remove the bells from my person and retain one for yourself. Understood?"

Shakily, the three Genin nodded, causing Asuma to smile. "Good. Then, mission...START!"

Three blurs jumped away from him into the forest. Asuma smiled as he leaned against the rock outcropping and took a nice, long drag from his cigarette.

'Now, let's see if you were smart enough to catch my hint,' he mused.

* * *

><p>Naruto sweat nervously as he eyed the smoking Jonin from the cover of the tree he was hiding in. Before the Uzumaki Clan had arrived, he would've undoubtedly attacked head on from the get-go, but many, <em>many<em> "training sessions" with clansmen who were on par with Konoha Jonin had beat that out of him.

He knew there was no way he could beat Asuma one on one — it just wasn't feasible at his power level or with the techniques he knew. Unlike Kakashi, who seemed extremely laid back, Asuma was simply...cool. In both meanings of the word. He was calm-headed _and_ someone Naruto could respect in terms of demeanour. Not once had the Jonin looked down at him since being assigned to his team.

On the other hand, the blond fervently wished he'd stop smoking; it was making his nose itch and eyes water.

There was also the question of the bells.

Naruto frowned as he considered his predicament. If he grabbed one of the bells, then either Shikamaru or Hinata would have to starve through lunch, and if he'd gleaned correctly from Asuma's comments about the test, then whoever failed to get a bell would also fail their Genin qualification exam.

Which naturally gave Naruto pause. Could he really save himself and let one of his comrades go back to the Academy?

Growling softly to himself, Naruto grabbed his head as the whole thing gave him a headache. Had it not been for the substantial training his kinsmen had beat into him, he would've never had to confuse himself with this sort of dilemma. He would've just charged ahead and sorted things out later.

Now, though, he was second-guessing himself, and boy was he hating it.

A part of him wanted to seek out Hinata and Shikamaru and ask them what they thought, but he figured that was against the rules, and so restrained that impulse.

Honestly, all he wanted to do was pass this stupid test and make his clan proud! Why did there have to be this sort of ridiculous test?!

But then...the clan always emphasized looking out for each other, didn't it?

Naruto froze as a smile grew on his face. That's right. His clan had taught him better than trying to advance regardless of how it affected others. The Uzumaki had always been about clan unity, so why dishonor them with this kind of victory?

A sound caught his attention and he watched as Hinata rushed forward from the foliage, looking torn between decisiveness and hesitation. Clearly, she'd come to her own answer.

Smirking, he raised his fingers in a cross pattern. "Yeah, I guess that's the only way left to go, eh?" he mused. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"

* * *

><p>Asuma eyed the young Hyuuga heiress as she charged him headlong. In the greater span of things, he couldn't blame her — the Hyuuga style essentially restricted her moves to frontal attacks — something he'd never quite liked about it.<p>

Still, he was surprised she'd be the first one out; he'd always imagined the Uzumaki brat would be the first to jump the gun.

"Brave, Miss Hyuuga," he praised her neutrally as he pushed himself off the rock outcropping, just in time to dodge to the side, with plenty of time to spare, as the girl launched a chakra-infused palm that would've done _some_ damage if it hit. "But not smart enough."

As she turned to face him, he was already bringing down a fist at her, a calm look of disinterest on his face. It was just about to connect with the side of her head, however, when his instincts kicked in and he jumped back, neatly avoiding a flying kick to the head.

"Oho?" he mused, a little interested now as he watched the blond Uzumaki kid recover from his failed attack. "What's this? Tag-teaming me?"

"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata exclaimed, surprised at her saviour and not a little happy that he'd come for her.

"Hey, Hinata," Naruto greeted, albeit while keeping his gaze entirely focused on Asuma. "How about we teach this old smoker a lesson?"

Asuma quirked an eyebrow at the bold suggestion, though he couldn't help but smile at the attitude the boy was displaying. "Ho? Interesting."

Hinata, for her part, needed no further prompting as she easily drew herself into the Juuken stance next to her crush, a half-firm/half-hesitant nod confirming her assistance. "U-Un!"

'Kage Bunshin...' Asuma easily deduced as he faced the two ready Genin. He'd taken a gander at their chakra levels before starting the test, and there was no way the boy had this little in him already, unless he was a clone. 'Nice. Let's see what they've got.'

He made a motion for them to come at him, still unwilling to use his chakra knives. "One on one...two one one...it makes no difference," he told them, amused. "Bring it."

"How about three on one?" he heard a voice ask him from behind, making his eyes widen. Instinctively, he jumped aside, the bells jingling just as a shadow lurched towards where he'd been.

Smiling grimly, he noted Shikamaru had managed to get behind him with the help of the foliage. Had he not spoken up, Asuma had no doubt he would've succeeded with Kagemane.

"Lesson one," Asuma stated with a tight smile before disappearing.

"Shinobi are quiet," he continued as he reappeared behind Shikamaru, who merely gave his own smirk before jumping forward, making Asuma miss his punch.

"Lesson two," the Jonin continued, just as he used his other hand to grab onto Naruto's foot. "Shinobi are always aware of their surroundings," he said just as he twisted around and then threw Naruto at the oncoming Hinata, bowling the two over and causing the Kage Bunshin to dissipate.

"Shit!" Shikamaru cursed. "Hinata! Fall back!"

"Lesson three," Asuma then said, appearing behind Hinata, a punch ready to be delivered. "Shinobi never let go of their prey."

His punch missed its target, unfortunately. A blur had appeared beside Hinata and then taken her away before he could put the Hyuuga heiress out of commission. Nothing personal, of course; he just wanted to make sure the three understood the stakes.

'Still...that was quite the impromptu plan,' Asuma mused as he watched two blurs move back towards the forest. 'Maybe they've got the answer?'

Chuckling, Asuma went back to the rock outcropping and leaned back, waiting once again for their next move.

* * *

><p>"Damnit, we were so close!" Naruto, or rather his Kage Bunshin, cursed as he punched a nearby tree. He glared at Shikamaru then. "Why'd you have to speak up? You could've gotten him!"<p>

Shikamaru, for his part, glared at the blond. "No, I couldn't," he shot back. "Asuma's no rookie, Naruto; he's a Jonin. He would've easily noted the attack once it got near enough. Even if I did catch him, there's no guarantee he wouldn't have been able to get out of trouble immediately, and you two were too far away to get to him in time to restrain him further."

Naruto growled. "Damn...if only the main body was there..."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Main body?" he asked, before narrowing his eyes. "You're not the real Naruto, are you?" he deduced. He'd had his suspicions, based on the sneak attack he'd seen the blond perform on Asuma. Naruto was typically too straightforward to do something like that, unless he was in some sort of situation where it wasn't advisable.

Naruto shook his head, confirming the boy's suspicions. "I'm a Kage Bunshin," he confirmed. "The real me is somewhere else."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed as he recalled his friend's ability to use the technique. He hadn't made much of a fuss about it back during the survival portion of the exam, but he had the opportunity to do so now.

"Yeah, about that...How the _hell_ do you know Kage Bunshin?!" he asked askance, having decided that since he'd chosen _not_ to blab about it during the graduation exam, he could do so now while minimizing the amount of people who would know. Hinata, too, seemed interested by this information, though she seemed to react to it differently — namely, giving Naruto an admiring gaze.

"Long story," Naruto's Kage Bunshin replied. "Not to mention classified six ways through Sunday."

"Tch, troublesome," muttered Shikamaru before fixing the blond with a calculating stare. "How much punishment can you take?" he asked directly, since they'd never really tested that aspect of the clones before.

"One good hit."

Shikamaru blinked. "That's it? Just one hit?" he asked, disappointed.

"If it helps, remember that anything I learn, the main body learns," the clone offered helpfully.

For the second time, Shikamaru blinked. "That's...incredibly useful..." he muttered to himself as he crouched down and put his hands together in his usual thinking pose.

"Oi, again with the pose?" demanded Naruto.

"Shut up, I'm thinking."

Shikamaru was a little irritated by the temporary team assignment he'd been given, but he was by no means willing to risk his mother's wrath by deliberately failing. Not to mention that being a civilian while in one of Konoha's prominent clans was pretty much the lowest you could get.

Scrunching his eyebrows as he delved deep into his thinking process, he gathered up the variables he knew, the variables he could predict, and then what he called the X factor: those things he could not predict or plan for. Every plan of his accounted for that factor, if only to help him remain calm in the face of the unexpected.

The variables he knew were pretty simple: Asuma was a Jonin, Naruto knew the Kage Bunshin, he had his shadow techniques, and Hinata was an average, if not newbie Juken practitioner. What he didn't know, on the other hand, made for a larger list. How even tempered was Naruto? Could Hinata withstand a significant amount of pressure? How intelligent was Asuma? Could his own chakra reserves handle a fully rested Jonin if he caught the man in the Kagemane?

These were just a few of the questions he asked himself, and to his irritation the most he had on any of them was guesswork.

Still...there was Naruto's Kage Bunshin to consider...

"Alright," Shikamaru spoke up as he opened his eyes and fixed Naruto with a stare. The blond had been twitching, from what he could see, in anxiety. "Dispel yourself and get the main body here."

Naruto nodded and immediately poofed into smoke. At the same time, Shikamaru turned his attention to Hinata.

"Hinata, keep your Byakugan up; we need to know what Asuma's doing at all times," he ordered.

"H-Hai! _Byakugan_**!**"

Within minutes, Naruto arrived where they were, landing on a nearby branch.

"What's up, Shika?" he asked.

"I need you to make three Kage Bunshin," Shikamaru ordered. Within a second, his order was complete. "Good. Now, get them to do _exactly_ as I say. We're going to be testing out Asuma's skills before we do anything."

Naruto grinned. "Gotcha."

* * *

><p>It was the noise that first told Asuma things were about to get interesting.<p>

Looking towards the tree line, he watched as three clones (well, he assumed they were all clones) rushed out towards him, all of them with a kunai in hand.

Asuma sighed, taking out his used cigarette and flicking it towards the ground. "Here we go again..." he mused as he deftly dodged a right hook to the face, kicked one of the clones in the stomach, and then proceeded to twist on his heel to punch the third in the back of the head. Predictably, all three poofed into smoke.

"Kage Bunshin..." he mused again. "Still can't believe that brat managed to get down the Tajuu."

His instincts kicked in then, and he neatly bent his neck sideways in order to avoid a thrown kunai, just as six clones now made their way out of the forest line.

"Heh. Getting more complicated, isn't he?" the Jonin mused. Just like with their predecessors, the six clones were quickly dispatched. Then, just as he was about to break out another cigarette to relax, he was forced to actually move from his sport as six kunai hit the ground where he'd stood.

Nine clones this time.

"More? This kid's chakra reserves are crazy!" he muttered to himself as he raced forward to meet them head on this time. Taken off-guard by the sudden aggression from the Jonin, the nine clones quickly had their numbers reduced by half before they tried to muster a counterattack. Unfortunately, by then Asuma had the momentum on his side, and the remaining clones were destroyed in minutes.

Eyeing the timer, Asuma noted that the kids still had maybe half an hour before the test was over. Sadly for them, he had yet to see them truly cooperate with each other, other than that impromptu ambush they'd pulled on him. Guess even a Nara, Hyūga, and Jinchuriki combined couldn't pierce through the real meaning of the test...

Those feelings of disappointment were only heightened as wave after wave of clones came at him, each one double the previous. By the time only fifteen minutes were left, he'd been fighting over 96 clones, separated into numerous waves, if the pattern held.

Then came the next wave, and Asuma was really starting to admire the Uzumaki kid for his chakra reserves. Even a Jonin like himself would've been hard pressed with just five, but this kid was pumping them out like they were regular Bunshin! Finally drawing out his trench knives — there was no way in _hell_ he could take 40 Genin on his own using only barehanded Taijutsu without getting hit a good few times — he raced to meet them head on in another attempt at cutting off their momentum before they really got going.

Predictably, he managed to cut a swathe right from the start, even though he wasn't channelling chakra into his blades. Even just using the dull side of the blades was enough to burst a clone. Kicking out, punching, and slashing, Asuma idly wondered how the kid had managed to raise his Taijutsu skill this much since graduating as a Genin. After all, his pre-Genin exam test scores had been abysmal. Yet, here they were, actually giving him a light workout.

A jingle caught his attention then, and he quickly jumped to the side just as a clone almost managed to grab onto the bells. Damn, he'd forgotten about that. Putting away his blades, he quickly flipped through hand seals before slamming his hands on the ground. "_Doton: Yomi Numa!_" he called out, just as the ground beneath ten or so clones turned into a muddy swamp, causing them to sink into its grasp. It wasn't as big or flashy as Jiraiya of the Sannin's, but it would do for the purposes of this test.

Still...he _did_ have a little over 30 clones to still deal with...

A kunai whizzed by his ear then, but that wasn't what caught Asuma's attention.

It was that the kunai had flown from _behind_ him.

Turning around, his eyes widened as another wave of clones charged him. That hadn't been according to pattern! Swiftly dodging an axe kick from a hasty clone, he was forced to keep flipping backwards as the two waves converged on him from all sides. Damn, that kid was good!

"But not good enough!" he roared as he once again flipped through hand seals. "_Fūton: Daitoppa!_" he yelled before blowing out a massive gust of wind that earned him a few seconds of respite before the wave of clones once again charged him.

He grimaced as he felt one land a glancing blow to his face, but quickly dispatched the offender with a swift uppercut to the stomach. Another dived for the bells, but was just as quickly put out of commission by a rapid elbow to the back. Even then, Asuma couldn't believe how much trouble these clones were giving him. On average, Kage Bunshin weren't made for combat, but scouting! Their lack of durability made them horrible combat partners, which was why Stone Clones were preferred in that area.

However, to use these expendable clones in this way...the boy had all the makings of a tactical genius!

Wait...

A small grin formed on his face, even as he kept fighting the clones. Shikamaru. That had to be it. As smart as the blond kid could be, the idea of getting him accustomed to one wave after another, only to be blindsided with an early wave, must've been the Nara boy's handiwork. And the only reason they could've known when to strike would've been if they kept a steady watch on him...and since he couldn't feel their chakra signatures close by, he was going to assume the Hyuga girl was providing them with continuous reports.

Clever. Very clever.

"So that's how it is..." he mused as he felt himself get excited. It was a good plan — no, it was a _brilliant_ plan. Shikamaru, Naruto, and Hinata had pooled their unique resources to hastily draw up a battle plan that was making _him_ sweat! "Alright then! Naruto! Shikamaru! Hinata! _Bring it on_!" he yelled out his challenge with a grin.

As if transmitting the feelings of the three teammates, the clones around him suddenly seemed all the more eager to fight, as they began to charge him with renewed determination. Unlike before, however, they'd abandoned their brawler type of fighting, and had settled for something that _looked_ like the Hyūga clan's Juuken.

For a moment, he'd wondered if Hinata had Henge'd into one of the clones, but then too many of them were using similar palm-oriented strikes. Unlike the Juken, however, Asuma could tell these chakra-infused palms weren't for surgical strikes, but for unleashing heavy doses of pain, much like what he'd heard of Tsunade's chakra-based super-strength.

"Uzumaki Clan's Hakkeshoken," he realized with wide eyes. "How'd that kid..." he instinctively eyed the curiously quiet fan gallery on the edge of the training ground. As he'd expected, they'd all quieted down for the actual exam, but what surprised him most was how approving they all seemed. Had they, too, realized what the boy was using?

"So that's how it is..." he mused, amused. He deftly dodged another palm strike and rewarded the clone with a fist to the face, dispelling it. Another dodge later, and another clone was flattened against the ground after trying to grab the bells.

Man, they were starting to coordinate these attacks pretty well!

Ten minutes he passed fighting the clones, but to Asuma it felt like an eternity. After all, fighting 384 opponents, whether clones or not, whether Genin or not, was pretty fucking tiring after a while.

And, as he got tired, he made mistakes.

The first one came in the form of a glancing strike to his upper bicep, which had made his arm flare with pain. Still, he'd managed to recover in an instant and dispatch the offending clone. But then came another glancing blow to his leg, and he'd almost buckled over.

The real mistake, however, came when five clones attacked him at once, while one went straight for the bells. Dispatching the bell one with a smack to the shoulder, he'd immediately turned his attention to the five oncoming clones and dispatched four of them when the fifth one, rather than dispel from a punch to the stomach, had merely grabbed onto him and grinned, a little winded.

"Not this time, Asuma-sensei!" the clone, now revealed to be the original Naruto, said with a mischievous grin. Even as Asuma's eyes widened at his mistake, Naruto cried out, "SHIKA! **NOW!**"

"_Kagemane no Jutsu!_...success!" he heard behind him, just as his body froze stiffly. "HINATA! Go!"

"H-Hai!" came a female voice from his right, though Asuma was unable to turn to see. All he felt was some stinging pain as the girl's Juken strikes hit his ankles and shoulder joints. Damn, they'd caught him completely! Even if he managed to get out of the Kagemane now, he'd be too screwed up to put up much of a fight, even against an Academy student!

"Bells! Now!" he heard Shikamaru then order, not one to forget mission parameters apparently.

"G-Got them!" Hinata's voice exclaimed, just as he felt something tug and snap from his belt. Still holding onto his outstretched arm, Naruto grinned at him.

"We win, sensei," he declared smugly, just as the boy's kinsmen broke out into congratulatory roars.

Asuma chuckled despite himself. The three kids had played him and good. They deserved the pass; hell, after what they put him through, he immediately dismissed giving them the secondary (but optional) test to see if they would still try to save themselves individually. "That you did, Naruto. That you did."

Then, just to rub it in, the timer went off.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Asuma found his colleagues chatting away at the local dango shop, their previously arranged meeting point. They didn't even notice him coming until he was practically right on top of them.<p>

"Oh, hey Asuma, how'd—What the hell happened to _you_?!" Kurenai cut herself off as she took in the Jonin's scrapped up appearance. "Did you get into a fight with a bear and lose?"

Asuma sighed. "I wish. Those brats really got me good..." he muttered as he slumped into a seat on Kakashi's side of the booth and slammed his head on the table tiredly.

"Those bra...the _Genin_ did this to you?" Kakashi asked, surprised. It wasn't every day a Genin team could do this much damage to a Jonin, after all. Hell, neither he nor Kurenai had been even remotely winded from their own tests.

Kurenai had to muffle a snort of amusement, causing Asuma to give her a weak glare.

"Hey, I want to see _you_ try to take on over a hundred shadow clones using only weak ninjutsu and taijutsu!" he challenged, causing the two to gape.

"A-A _hundred_?" asked Kurenai, shaken.

"At least," Asuma confirmed, wishing he was back home and in bed. Curse the need to share notes with his colleagues in order to form a balanced learning schedule!

"Did he use...it?" asked Kakashi carefully, all three knowing full well that the only person remotely capable of using Shadow Clones within the Genin ranks at the moment was Naruto.

There was no need to ask what 'it' was.

"No," Asuma assured them, head still lying on the table. "Never felt an ounce of it. It was all his own chakra."

"That's...insane...!" Kurenai almost cried out, though she managed to keep it low. "What kind of Genin has that much chakra?!"

"A you-know-what," Kakashi reminded her with a meaningful one-eyed look. He turned his attention back to Asuma then. "So they passed?"

"Flying colours," the bearded Jonin agreed with a slight twitch of the head that the other two assumed was a poor attempt at a nod. "You two?"

Kurenai shrugged. "Passed, though the Aburame and Akimichi had trouble integrating their styles with each other. Haruno managed to devise the winning plan, though, after the Aburame revealed the purpose of the test." Asuma nodded as he processed the information.

Both then turned to Kakashi, who'd specifically requested to test the team with the Uchiha. Unsurprisingly, he flinched.

"Passed...though barely," he admitted after a moment of silence. "It was exactly like the reports said: Sasuke has trouble working with others," he stated. "Kiba was all for teaming up against me, but Ino was...well...there's a reason why her file had 'fangirl' under Warning Notes."

Kurenai frowned at this, while Asuma flinched. It was no secret that Kurenai hated two things over anything else: men who looked down on kunoichi because of their gender, and women who were a disgrace to the title; notably, fangirls.

"How'd they pass?" she asked dangerously. If she found out Kakashi had passed them for the sake of passing the Uchiha, his genitals would be forfeit.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well, y'see...the timer ran out, so I tied Kiba to the post...then went on about the Memorial Stone and everything...I think Sasuke figured it out then, because when I came back to scare them, he and Ino were sharing their food with Kiba."

"Lucky pass, then," Asuma grumbled. Why the hell had _he_ been the only one stuck with the smart and aggressive ones? "Also, I hate you, Hatake. Just so you know."

Kakashi chuckled nervously, even as he weathered Kurenai's disapproving stare and Asuma's pain-filled grumbling.

* * *

><p>"Oh <em>man<em>, that was great! Did you see how we took him down? Man, it was epic!"

Yep, Naruto was already gloating about their 'victory' over Asuma.

"Damnit, Naruto, will you stop being so troublesome and pipe down?" Shikamaru growled as he tried to eat in peace. It was bad enough his teammates had been the very same who'd nearly driven him up a wall during the survival exam, but now the loudmouth had to ruin his meal?

"You guys are lucky, we didn't get a single hit in against Kurenai-sensei," Sakura mumbled as she idly twirled her chopsticks in the noodles on her plate. The nine rookies, after passing their tests, had all agreed to meet up for a celebratory luncheon at Yakiniku-Q, the most famous barbecue restaurant in Konoha.

"To be fair, that wasn't the point," Shino spoke up then as he held up a piece of steak between his chopsticks. "Why? Because the point was teamwork, not physical victory. Even so, I agree with my teammate; I am envious of your victory over Sarutobi Asuma. Why? Because it —"

"Dude, let it _go_," Kiba interrupted him just before tearing off a piece of meat and throwing it at Akamaru, who caught it mid-air. Shino frowned at him (not that anyone could tell), but remained quiet.

"Bah, he couldn't have been all that!" Ino broke into the conversation after having eaten a bit of her salad. "We couldn't even get a hit in against Kakashi!"

"Kakashi used to be ANBU, though," Choji pointed out. "Dad always spoke very highly of him."

"And Kurenai-sensei is a new Jonin," Sakura informed her friends. "They say Asuma-sensei used to be one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, though, so it's still very impressive you guys managed to take him down," she added, smiling at Hinata, who'd conformed herself with eating quietly.

The comment served to make the indigo-haired girl blush. "I-It was n-nothing...S-Shikamaru-kun and N-Naruto-kun did m-most of the work..."

She squeaked when Naruto suddenly put an arm around her shoulders and grinned at the group. "Aw come on! Don't say that! Without you, we'd have been screwed, right Shikamaru?" he questioned his pineapple-haired friend, who just ignored him. "Oh, come on, Shika! You can't still be mad at me because of the survival test!"

"Hmph..." said boy merely grunted before returning to his food. Over on the other side of the table, Sasuke gave the Nara heir a respectful glance before returning to his own food. He'd initially rejected the proposition to join the others for lunch, but after Shikamaru had pointed out that they'd have to cooperate in the future, he'd reluctantly agreed.

To be frank, he was surprised he was feeling as relaxed as he did.

"But, y'know...what do you all think of this Genin Pool thing?" Kiba spoke up, immediately killing off any side-conversations as the Genin quietly pondered the situation. They'd all grown up learning and hearing of specific teams performing missions that made those teams famous world-wide.

"It's...unexpected," Shikamaru was the first to speak up. "Troublesome, too. But I guess I can see the wisdom in it."

"Really? Why don't you enlighten us, oh grand brain!" Ino drawled out mockingly. She knew Shikamaru was nowhere near as stupid as his lazy demeanour made him out to be, having grown up together. Still, that didn't make it any less fun to tease him.

"Tch. Troublesome blondes..." he muttered before flinching forward as Ino nailed him in the temple with an errant chopstick. "Fine! Fine!" he finally agreed before eyeing the other Genin. "Look, we're all pretty damn good at something, right?"

"H-How do you m-mean, Shikamaru-kun?" Hinata spoke up, a little embarrassed at her own daring.

"Kiba, Shino, Hinata...you three would be perfect as a tracker team, right?" Shikamaru suggested, earning a few tentative nods. "Alright, then what about when your team faces an ambush? How do you get out of a situation with superior numbers against you? Who's your heavy hitter?"

"Kiba would be the logical choice," Shino answered, for once straightforward and not adding in anything unnecessary.

"But Kiba's techniques rely on Akamaru, right?" Shikamaru countered, deflating the pleased look on Kiba's face. "So what happens if Akamaru is incapacitated?"

"Hey...not _all_ of them..." he grouched.

"But the most powerful ones do," Shikamaru waved aside his objections. "In that situation, you're all dead, unless you have some powerful backup. However, if you had, say, Sasuke, Choji, or Naruto around instead of one of you three, then you'd have much greater odds of extraction while still holding up a good degree of tracking skills."

The Genin pondered on that for a while before nodding.

"Is that why the teams were set up that way?" asked Sakura as she narrowed her eyes. "One heavy hitter, one tracker, and one...err..." she floundered, not knowing how she'd really qualify herself. After all, what _was_ she good at, at this point? To be fair, though, she _was_ a newly-minted Genin...

Shikamaru nodded as he raised a finger. "I think so," he stated. "They say it was random, but the way the three teams were _identically_ arranged means that was just a load of crap. Look, guys," he then said seriously, grabbing their attention. "The Jonin aren't stupid. What we just tested against? They were probably holding back to a tenth or less of their actual skills. Don't go thinking we did the impossible — anyone can fight a handicapped Jonin."

Silence permeated the room as they sobered up their expectations of their Jonin-sensei.

"So...basically don't act like Naruto?" Kiba carefully posed.

Shikamaru nodded immediately and without hesitation. "Exactly."

"Hey!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Well, I'm going to go out on a limb here and make a bet with myself. I bet that at least five reviews complain about the I Am Legion tactic Naruto employs. If I win, I must give myself some Ice Tea. If I lose, I get a soda.<strong>_

_**Still, standing by it. They're not ultra-strong clones, just cannon fodder, and he's not dispelling them all at the same time, so no chance of KO by mass dispel. So as far as I can tell, it's legit. Especially after being put through hell by his minders while he was waiting for the clan to arrive.**_

_**Cheers,**_

_**MB**_

_**December 16, 2013 Update: Chapter has been revised.**_


	9. Lost Clan Arc: The Memorial Tablet

_**AN: ATTENTION! New poll up on the profile page, directly related to the contents of this chapter! More information at the BOTTOM of this chapter! PLEASE READ EVERYTHING BEFORE BLASTING MY INBOX.**_

_**Anyway, with that out of the way, I just have this to say: sorry, guys, but no Emperor chapter just yet. This one was done and rather than make you all wait until the Emperor chapter was done too, I decided to put it up now. Hope you enjoy it!**_

_**And I repeat: READ THE NOTE AT THE BOTTOM!**_

_**Cheers,**_

_**MB**_

* * *

><p>Naruto swayed happily at the music being played in the dining hall...or what passed for one, for now.<p>

After a hearty luncheon, the newly promoted Genin had split up to tell their families the good news, though he knew he didn't really have to do any such thing, given that his kinsmen had spied on his test.

Still, it gave him a warm feeling when he rushed to the Elders and had told them of his successful test, earning proud gazes from both. Rough though the Uzumaki may be, they were still a close-knit family, and Keisuke and Heiyako treated all of their kinsmen as though their own grandchildren. That Naruto was to eventually be their Clan Head was but a bonus.

The two Elders had proudly announced the positive results to the rest of the clan within minutes, aided by what Heiyako had explained were seals hidden throughout the clan grounds designed to transmit the voice of the main seal-bearer, which was Keisuke at the moment.

The result was that spontaneous cheering had broken out throughout the compound grounds, with many abandoning their construction duties just to dance around or goof off in celebration.

This was quickly put back under control by Kimiko.

Regardless of the minor chaos the announcement brought, it was decided to host _another_ celebration that night in the clan's newly finished, though unfurnished, Dining Hall, figuring that it was a good way to break it in.

Much like their previous celebration, Naruto had watched the Uzumaki pull out all the stops as the more musically inclined members broke out pipes, zithers, and drums to perform traditional songs from Uzushio. Some of the more limber Uzumaki girls simply contented themselves with putting on a dance show for the rest, providing everyone with a good time.

Naruto had been curious about this at first, since he'd seen these very same people not go out on shinobi missions during the morning assignment-giving. Keisuke, however, had simply patted him on the head and grinned.

"Everyone's got something they're good at, Naru-chan," he'd told the boy affectionately. "Some kill, others entertain. The Uzumaki are not so stuck-up as to dismiss one for the other."

Despite the nickname, Naruto had grinned at the explanation, happy that his family was full of nice people who didn't judge others callously, unlike the way he'd been discriminated against at the Academy.

Ever since that explanation, though, Naruto had simply enjoyed swaying to the sound of music from his homeland, feeling a wave of nostalgia wash over him as he wondered how it must've been. Some of the songs, as he expected from his clan, were rowdy and fast-paced, but there were a few — his favorite ones — that were slow, melancholic, and served to give him an ache for the homeland they'd all lost.

He blinked as he suddenly felt a rough hand come down on his head, rubbing it affectionately.

"Oi, shrimp, how's it going?" asked Natsu with a grin as he plopped down beside him, a half-eaten chicken drumstick in hand. "Liking the clan life already?"

Naruto frowned at the shrimp comment, but let it slide this one time in favour of a grinning nod. Besides, he'd get back at him later for it; he was sure cousin Hikari would love to help!

Natsu grinned back. "Yeah, there's nothing quite like it, aye?" he mused aloud as he watched a few distant, and _very_ pretty cousins dance away in front of them. Natsu, though, kept his eye on the last of them — a pretty girl with silver hair, who reminded him vaguely of his cousin Akemi. He pointed her out to Naruto. "See that one? That's Miyuki-chan; she's Akemi-nee and Daisuke's little sister," he said with a little smile.

Naruto, though not one to be especially perceptive, nonetheless saw that at the very least Natsu saw this one girl differently from the rest. Eyeing the girl in question, he supposed he could see why — she was _very_ pretty, especially in the dancing outfit she was in, which showed all the right curves.

There was also the soft, peaceful look on her face as she danced away at the music her kinsmen played. To Naruto, it seemed as though she...lost herself in the melody. As he noted this, he realized that it was something he could ascribe to essentially all of his dancing kinsmen. All of them seemed completely at ease and entranced by the music. Still, weren't they cousins? Wasn't it kinda...icky to like your cousin? He'd heard quite a few people say that about the Hyuga once or twice whenever they didn't think they were being heard.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," someone grumbled from Naruto's other side. As both Natsu and Naruto looked towards the speaker, they noticed it was Takeshi, who was gobbling down insane amounts of meat per chopstick.

"What was that, asshole?!" Natsu growled as he got to one knee, ready to deck his cousin.

"You heard me, moron; if you like her so much, ask her out already!" Takeshi shot back before eyeing Naruto. "Heard you used the Hakkeshoken today, brat. Good work, even if you're just an amateur," he backhandedly praised his student.

"You're one to talk, Takeshi-kun," Hikari spoke up next to him as she picked up a clump of rice. "How's Maki-chan these days?" she asked not-so-innocently, causing the fighting specialist to nearly choke on a piece of meat.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" demanded the pierced teen as he glowered at the summoning specialist, while Natsu laughed at seeing Takeshi put on the spot.

Naruto, however, simply saw in this a chance to alleviate his curiosity. Grinning over at Hikari, who gave him a confused smile, he asked bluntly, "Ne...Hikari-nee, isn't it kinda weird to like your cousin?"

Frankly, if Naruto had known the sort of reaction he'd get from that one question, he'd have brought a freaking camera.

Takeshi and Natsu, who were about to start a brawling festival, lost their footing and smashed their heads together, knocking themselves out for the count. Hikari, who'd been taking a sip of water from her cup, proceeded to spit it out violently, spraying the uncle opposite her seat in the hall, who fell back in shock in turn. Another cousin, who'd been sitting on his other side, burst out laughing hysterically, causing a flushed Hikari to nail him in the temple with her now-empty cup, knocking him out as well. Then, when she managed to regain enough self-control, Hikari eyed Naruto with wide eyes.

"What the...where the hell did _that_ come from?!" she asked, still coughing a little from having some water go down the wrong pipe.

"Well, Natsu and Takeshi like Miyuki and Maki, right?" Naruto asked, still acting far too innocently for Hikari's mental well-being. Was the brat honestly _this_ ignorant about how things worked?

"Well, um...you see...it's complicated," she stuttered. Honestly, why the hell was _she_ in charge of telling him this? Where the _hell_ were her aunties and Elder Heiyako? Why couldn't _they_ have been nearby?! "See...um...Maki-chan and Miyuki-chan are their cousins, yeah, but they're not...close cousins," she tried.

Naruto's eyes widened. "They don't get along?! Why not?!" he demanded, prompting the cousin on his other side, who'd started to regain consciousness, to burst out laughing again, only for Hikari to kick him in the head in irritation, shutting him up again.

"Not that kind of close!" she half-snapped at Naruto. Seriously! Wasn't he like...thirteen?! Wasn't this sort of common sense? "I mean that their parents aren't immediately blood related!"

Naruto blinked. Hikari facepalmed.

"Look, put it this way...Miyuki's dad wasn't Natsu's dad's brother. But they both shared the same great-great-grandparent of our clan; so they're both Uzumaki, but they're so far apart in terms of blood relations, that I...guess...it's okay for them to see each other," she explained...or tried to. Even now, Naruto was still looking at her blankly.

Just as Hikari was about to try again, however, a loud banging was heard coming from around the middle of the room. Fortunately, the Dining Hall had been built for optimal acoustics, so there wasn't much trouble gaining everyone's attention. Needless to say, Hikari thoroughly welcomed the distraction.

"Alright, alright, listen up you punks!" Keisuke's somewhat-drunken voice could be heard yelling as he waddled out to the middle of the dance floor. Still some kinsmen ignored him, causing a vein to visibly throb on the Elder's forehead. "SHUT UP!" he roared.

This time, he got their attention.

"We all know what we're here celebratin' for, but I'll just repeat it for any of you brain-dead morons who didn't listen to the announcement," he drawled, swaying a bit due to the booze. "As all you idiots know, we've been a long time on the run, livin' off the wild and keepin' to ourselves. Not two months ago, though, one of our own, Hikari-chan, daughter of Yusuke and Mari, Heaven watch over their souls, came across an orphaned boy in this town, and found out he's one of us."

There were nods and mumbles of assent amongst the crowd, and Naruto felt a little anxious as he knew the Elder was speaking of him.

"That boy was none other than the son of our very own Kushina...oh, and I guess that nancy boy Minato..." he hiccuped, causing a few snorts of laughter. "And ever since, we have now come here to live as one family!"

"ONE CLAN!" the crowd, including musicians and dancers, spontaneously roared, almost causing Naruto to crap himself in surprise. He hadn't been expecting that!

"The Uzumaki Clan!" Keisuke answered right back without breaking stride, holding up his index finger pointed towards the ceiling (also ignoring the fact that roughly half of said clan was still AWOL). "The greatest clan of Uzushio! The Seal Masters that made the Five Villages shit themselves in fear!" Again, laughter erupted at the comment, however true it was. "It's been a Kami-damned long time since we've had so many of us come together like this, and so now I've got words for all you punks!"

Naruto eyed his cousins on either side of him; for some reason, they all seemed far more excited than a usual announcement would warrant.

"Give me a tune, damnit!" Keisuke roared at the musicians, who immediately began playing something far more fast-paced than Naruto had heard them perform before.

Immediately, the crowd began chanting every few beats, and as the chanting grew, Naruto couldn't help but feel his own heart start to beat faster as the music drew him in.

"The air be getting thirsty as the evening comes around," Keisuke half-sang, half-drawled in an accent that Naruto had begun to associate with his Uzu heritage. "The girls be gettin' nervous on the shadowy side of town! So raise your cups higher, and toast to those'd be gone, for we —"

"ALL GO DOWN AS ONE!" roared his kin.

"It's quarter past eleven, it's time to sing this song," Keisuke kept going, never breaking stride. Naruto was surprised; for an old man, he had quite the lungs. "So shout it to the heavens and everyone sing along! Sisters, brothers, mothers and grandma's too!"

"WE ALL GO DOWN AS ONE!" The crowd again rose up, cups in the air, the booze sloshing about everywhere. Naruto was taken aback as even his demure cousins rose up in singleminded purpose, stumbling as he himself tried to catch up. "YEAH WE ALL GO DOWN AS ONE!"

"No matter what they say, there's honor in the fight!" Keisuke continued as he pointed to all of his kin. "No matter what they do you must stand up for what's right! Bloody hugs and kisses...just another night!"

This time, Naruto joined in as the Uzumaki Clan roared out the chorus as one.

He could scarcely believe how pumped up he felt with all that adrenaline pumping through his veins. He'd seen the celebrations around town during the annual Kyuubi festival, and none of it compared to this. Even when the village was at its rowdiest, they paled in comparison to his clan, who made celebrations into practically a part of themselves!

The song went on, as did the celebrations. Naruto, though feeling anxious at first since he knew the party was being held in his honor, quickly felt all of that fade away as he joined his kin in roughhousing and drinking, having been told that the moment one becomes a Genin, the Uzumaki considered them an adult. He hadn't been so sure about that, but the adults had insisted he at least try it.

Bad move.

To the astonishment of many, not only could Naruto drink, but he could _out drink_ many of their numbers, thoroughly and comically humiliating more than a few of his family members in the process. When challenged by Hiroki, Naruto had been stone sober when the man finally passed out, a puddle of drool forming underneath his face. Then two more had come around to challenge him, and both had joined Hiroki amongst the "passed out" pile.

Then came his greatest challenger: Nobuko.

The outrageously under-dressed teen had swaggered up to him, having noticed his drinking feats, and instantly laid down the gauntlet, causing excited gasps from the surrounding crowd as the two heaviest drinkers of the Uzumaki faced off.

"Best give up now, brat, I ain't ever lost a drinkin' fight!" she drawled out, already a little buzzed by the heavy drinking she'd been doing thus far.

"Bring it on, _itoko_," Naruto answered with his own, slightly-buzzed grin.

Both contestants glared at each other for a moment before giving toothy grins and turning to the their kinsmen. "Booze!" they chorused. "Now!"

Cheers answered them as giant cups of wine were placed in front of them. No one seemed to question the fact that a _thirteen year old_ was putting away more wine than some of the greatest lushes in history.

Watching on as Naruto and Nobuko worked towards destroying their livers, Heiyako sighed in amusement as she shook her head slowly, enjoying her own cup of wine in much more moderation. While Keisuke had waddled onto the stage to give his rendition of the clan's song, she'd stayed behind and observed Naruto's reaction to his first foray into a real clan celebration without being within immediate reach of one of the Elders. While he'd been exposed to a party before, that one had been pretty tame by their standards, and the presence of the Elders in his immediate vicinity had given him a sort of safety net. This time around, he'd had to essentially mix in with the family much more intimately. Still, he seemed to fit right in even in this sort of celebration.

She heard a grunt to her left and sighed as she turned her head to look at Keisuke, who was slouching down, blushing from the alcohol intake, a jug of sake still in hand. "You should try toning things down, Keisuke," she chided. "You're not thirty anymore."

"Eh, whatever," the tiny elder grunted dismissively before taking another swig of sake. A pregnant pause passed between the elders, even as the rest of the clan thoroughly enjoyed themselves through song, dance, booze, and general merriment. It almost made up for all the fights they'd had over clan policy. Almost.

"He seems to be fitting in quite well," Heiyako noted as she glanced over to where Naruto was facing down Nobuko. To no one's particular surprise anymore, several giant cups of sake were stacked up on _both_ sides.

"He's Uzumaki...'course he would," Keisuke mumbled.

"Does that mean you'll be taking him to the memorial tomorrow?" his colleague asked curiously. The first building that had been finished in the nascent compound was, naturally, the Clan Temple, where the Memorial Tablet was already displayed prominently.

"He graduated, didn't he?" remarked Keisuke neutrally. "It's his time."

"The Hokage might not like that, though," Heiyako pointed out. She knew the Sandaime saw the boy as practically his own grandchild, which both Elders had long since realized could bring trouble as his expectations clashed with some Uzumaki traditions. The Memorial Tablet being one of them.

"Screw the Hokage," Keisuke stated bluntly before taking another swig. "Naruto's one of us, and it's one of our most sacred traditions. He deserves to know his heritage."

* * *

><p>Senzo Tera. The Ancestral Temple.<p>

Throughout the Uzumaki Clan's existence, every compound they inhabited, be it in Uzushio or in exile, centered itself around the Senzo Tera. What differentiated this building from every other clan shrine was not its size, but its contents.

Specifically speaking, the Memorial Tablet.

A misnomer of sorts, the Memorial Tablet was, in fact, four large stone tablets that used to be undivided. Yet, upon Uzu no Kuni's invasion and destruction, the Uzumaki Clan, now refugees in the Elemental Continent, made the decision to split themselves into four cells in order to keep themselves hidden from prying eyes. Seeing as how Uzumaki tradition forbade the construction of compounds without the Memorial Tablet being enshrined in the Senzo Tera, the public decision was made to split the Tablet into four.

Now, two pieces found themselves in the possession of Konoha's Uzumaki clansmen, safely hidden away in the highly protected Senzo Tera.

"I don't get it, Jii-chan, why do we have to do this so early?" asked Naruto between yawns.

"So no one interrupts us, Naru-chan," Keisuke explained as he grabbed a torch from its rack and lit it with a simple fire jutsu. "This is sacred tradition amongst the Uzumaki; when one of us reaches Genin rank, we must take them to the Memorial Tablet and reveal their heritage."

Naruto nodded sleepily as he followed the tiny Elder, barely paying attention. All he knew was that he'd been shaken awake that morning by Keisuke and made to leave the Dining Hall quietly while the rest of the clan slept exactly where they'd dropped the previous night. It had taken some skill and dumb luck to navigate all the bodies, but they'd managed to get out without anyone being the wiser.

In silence, the two Uzumaki went down a flight of circular stairs hidden behind one of the panels of the Senzo Tera's main room. Blinking at the unexpected find, Naruto felt a little of his drowsiness escape him. "I don't remember anyone building a hidden staircase..." he mumbled to himself, unaware he'd spoken aloud.

"You wouldn't," Keisuke commented gruffly. "During its construction, every sort of misdirection seal we could get away with placing was activated. No one outside the Clan can know of this path, Naru-chan. Absolutely no one," he reiterated as he paused mid-stride to eye his kinsman. "Not friends, lovers, or acquaintances. Even if you trust them with your life, even if you married a nice girl outside the Clan, no one can know about what I'm about to show you. Understand?"

Naruto swallowed, feeling a great deal of pressure bear down on him as Keisuke fixed him with a stern, unyielding gaze. It was times like these that he could begin believing the tales of how Keisuke was one of the most powerful Uzumaki still alive. Cautiously, Naruto nodded in agreement, eliciting a similar nod from Keisuke.

"Good," the elder said before continuing his walk. "Tell me, Naru-chan, have any of the others told you about the Memorial Tablet?"

Naruto frowned. "Not directly, no," he answered. "It's just a big rock, right? With the names of the Uzumaki who've died?"

"Yes," Keisuke confirmed. "But it is also more than that, Naru-chan. The Memorial Tablet isn't just there for the dead, but for those that will come after as well."

"Eh?" asked Naruto. "What the hell does that mean?"

Keisuke gave him a knowing smile. "Oh, you'll see, you'll see...Come on, not much left."

Naruto had to hand it to his family; when they wanted something hidden, they hid it. The way down the stairs had felt like an eternity, and he often caught Keisuke making discreet, one-handed seals that made the occasional brick glow softly. When he'd pointed them out, Keisuke had smiled proudly at him and told him they were seal arrays placed at varying intervals to ensure that if someone _did_ find their way into the stairwell, they'd _never_ get to the Memorial Tablet proper.

Still, there were moments when Naruto was just about convinced they were stuck in some sort of looping genjutsu, though that feeling immediately went away when they reached a huge ornate set of wooden doors.

"We're here," Keisuke announced unnecessarily. "The Memorial Tablet."

Lifting his hand, Keisuke placed it on the doors, which Naruto noted had no visible way of opening them. Then, just as he was about to comment on that, the area where Keisuke had placed his hand began to glow, heralding a spiral pattern of characters that soon formed into the most complex seal array Naruto had ever seen — even Maki's arrays, with which he was intimately familiar after numerous experiences as her test subject, didn't come close.

"One of our pride and joys, the **Senju Tamashi no Fuin**," Keisuke said as he watched the seal complete itself before his eyes. "It's even more powerful than Maki and Eiji's **Hyakuju Rashomon Fuin**. There is nothing short of a Biju that can get past it."

"One thousand spirit seal," Naruto parroted, awed by the amazing amount of characters that raced all over the door frame. "But, if there are so many seals already protecting the way in, why bother placing one as powerful as that on the door?" he asked, a little confused. Judging from the other seals he'd spied on the way down, it was highly unlikely anyone would ever survive the trek down if uninvited.

Keisuke gave a stony smile. "After what happened to Uzushio, we've learned never to underestimate our enemies' resolve," he simply said. "Always remember that it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to clan secrets, Naru-chan. Always."

"H-Hai, Keisuke-choro."

For once Keisuke didn't correct Naruto as the two waited for the seal array to complete itself. When it did, it glowed a soft, almost comforting blue before fading away into the woodwork. Then, with a groan befitting such majestic doors, the gateway opened automatically before them, revealing a darkened room within.

"**Fuin!**" grunted Keisuke as he held up a half-Tiger hand seal. Immediately, torches throughout the room lit up on command, illuminating the room better than any light bulb Naruto had ever seen.

"The Memorial Tablet," Keisuke introduced as the two stepped into the room, the doors shutting behind them.

Naruto's eyes widened as he looked up, and up, and up. When his kinsmen had spoken of the Tablet, he'd always imagined it to be maybe a meter tall and a meter wide. The truth, however, was far greater than his imagination had conceived of.

The Memorial Tablet, its frame almost literally carved to the brim with names, easily went several meters high, and was perhaps twice as wide. It was humbling and heart-breaking to realize that it nonetheless seemed to barely manage holding all the names of the Uzumaki Clan's deceased.

"Our greatest monument, and our greatest sorrow," Keisuke added as he went over to an empty wall socket and placed his torch there. When he returned to Naruto's side, he saw that the boy was still somewhat in shock. "Humbling, isn't it?"

"All of these names...they're all dead?" whispered Naruto, slack-jawed and shocked.

Keisuke nodded. "Yes," he confirmed. "Not all at the same time, not all due to the same reasons, however. Yet, since the beginning of the Clan, ours has been a history of war, blood, and grief," he added before pointing out a name that Naruto could barely make out. "Uzumaki Akane. That one died trying to master elemental manipulation. She was fifteen."

"Uzumaki Ryoga, twenty-five; died in a battle against Kumo ninja during the Second War," he pointed out another one. "Uzumaki Ken. Died from disease at the age of sixty during an epidemic in Uzu. Uzumaki Ii, nineteen, died while experimenting with elemental chakra. Uzumaki Aoi; died at the age of ten during the destruction of Uzu."

"Ten...?" breathed Naruto, feeling sick to his stomach. Children had been killed during the Clan's near-miss?

Keisuke nodded gravely. "Deaths from war, sickness, famine, idiocy, heroism, sacrifice, and massacres...we've had kinsmen die from them all," he told Naruto. "Except treason. We've never had kinsmen betray the family in all our years of existence. Sometimes, that alone helps stem some of the grief we feel."

Naruto swallowed as the immensity of the Tablet seemed to bear down on him. All those names...all those kinsmen who'd never managed to fulfill their dreams...it was almost too much to bear. "Did you...know all of them?" he asked carefully.

Keisuke sighed. "No, not all of them," he admitted. "But I know all their names. So does Heiyako," he added, referring to his colleague. "I know all their deeds. After the Great Exile, we Elders vowed to keep their memory alive, even if no one else would remember them."

A thought occurred to Naruto then, though he greatly feared voicing it. Still, he needed to know, no matter what. "Is...Is mom on the Tablet?"

Silently, Keisuke eyed the blond for a moment before slowly bringing up a hand and pointing towards a part of the tablet a few meters away.

Naruto didn't know how he got there. He hadn't consciously moved his legs, nor had he especially thought about doing so. All he knew was that one moment he was beside Keisuke, and the next he was in front of a name that looked more newly carved than those around it.

Uzumaki Kushina.

XXX-XXX

Emptiness. He felt empty inside, as though his stomach's bottom had given out. It felt strange, since he'd always assumed he'd be overwhelmed with grief when he finally found out about his mother. He always figured it'd be like in the stories, when the hero would find the graves of their loved ones and fall to their knees in abject shock, tears streaming down their cheeks.

Was it because he'd never known her? Was that why he couldn't properly grieve for his mother, the woman who'd brought him into this world?

"Why can't I cry...?" he mumbled out loud unconsciously.

Absently, he felt Keisuke's hand rest on his shoulder as the Elder joined him in contemplating Kushina's name.

"Not crying doesn't mean you didn't love her," Keisuke comforted him. "Death takes us all by surprise, even when we know it's coming. Worry not, Naru-chan. When the shock leaves, you will grieve for her, like we all grieve for those we've lost."

Maybe the Elder was right. Maybe a tiny part of him hoped...no, _wished_ he wasn't an orphan like everyone said he was. Since he hadn't ever met either parent, he'd always thought that maybe, just maybe they were alive out there somewhere, unknowing of his existence. A tiny sliver of his soul always hoped that when his deeds were great enough, they might one day hear of him and come back to him.

But that was a lie, as he now knew. His mother and father were dead, killed during the Kyuubi incident. If there was any way to cement that fact any clearer than being told so by his family, it was definitely the carved name on the Tablet before him.

Unconsciously, he reached out for the name, his palms slick with sweat he hadn't known he'd produced.

"She loved you, Naru-chan," Keisuke told him as he did so. "When we met her, right before the Kyuubi attacked, she was already pregnant with you, and she couldn't shut up about you and how she imagined you'd be. I can honestly say I've never seen a woman as happy as she was back then."

"Kaa...chan..." Naruto whispered as his fingers went over the carved name, feeling every scratch and ever gouge in the stone as he did so.

"Kushina was a proud Uzumaki, one of us in every way a person could be," Keisuke continued, his own expression reflecting nothing but pride. "Beautiful, strong, stubborn, and righteous. The day she died, the Uzumaki lost one of its finest kinsmen, and the whole clan grieved as one."

"Why...why didn't anyone tell me about her?"

Keisuke gave the boy a pitying glance. "I can't speak for the Hokage," he stated neutrally. Personally, he'd been outraged when he found out Naruto had no idea of his heritage. He could, in hindsight, realize why his relation to Minato Namikaze had been obscured — Iwa had _just_ gotten its Sandaime back into power after the Yondaime Tsuchikage had died, and the Hokage hadn't been willing to rock the boat by announcing a living heir to Iwa's greatest nightmare. Over time, that reason had lost its basis, since Onoki wasn't known for being an impulsive revenge-seeker, but by then years of secrecy had turned into a habit.

Naruto's heritage on part of the Uzumaki was less forgivable, in Keisuke's opinion. Uzushio had long since been destroyed, Kiri was in the midst of the Bloody Mist Era, Umi was a non-power after Konoha had sought retribution for Uzushio's destruction, and Iwa and Kumo weren't about to start another war over a single Uzumaki clansman. Keisuke imagined the Hokage had simply decided not to tell Naruto due to the possibility of the boy finding out the link between her and the Yondaime Hokage.

A moment of silence passed between the two Uzumaki as the younger one remained still, his fingers brushing his mother's name as the older one looked on silently. Despite his original purpose in bringing the boy here, he couldn't deny the blond his time grieving for his lost mother. During the annual remembrance ceremony, every Uzumaki tended to act in a similar way; Keisuke himself could be found near his dead wife and son's name, just staring endlessly at it in silence.

Then, without saying a word, Keisuke handed Naruto a clean handkerchief. When the boy blinked and looked at him in confusion, Keisuke shrugged. "Some of us like to keep the names of our loved ones clean and visible," he merely stated. "It helps us to keep occupied."

Blinking away his shock, Naruto looked over the Tablet and realized the elder was right; many of the names seemed in far better care than others. Giving Keisuke a thankful nod, Naruto took the handkerchief and brought it softly to his mother's name, wiping away some of the grime his fingers had brought and a few bits of dust here and there. He knew it was almost a pointless gesture — his mother wouldn't be able to thank him for it, after all — but it felt...good. It felt like he was properly honoring his mother, even if he hadn't known her.

Another few minutes passed as Keisuke allowed the boy some time with his mother's name before he spoke up. "Naruto, it's time," he said.

Naruto blinked as he stopped caring for his mother's engraved name. "Eh? Time for what?"

"What we came here to do," Keisuke said simply as he motioned Naruto to follow him. Blinking in confusion, the boy reluctantly obeyed, giving his mother a last parting glance before trotting up to the diminutive Elder.

"Weren't we here so you could show me the names?" he asked confusedly.

"That's one part," Keisuke confirmed. "But remember what I told you? The Tablet isn't just a memorial for the dead, but also for those to come."

Naruto frowned in confusion and crossed his arms. "Oh yeah...what the heck does that even mean?"

"You'll see."

Naruto pouted at being denied clarity, dutifully following the Elder until they reached the exact center of the Tablet. It was at this point that he realized that the Tablet, despite what he'd thought, was actually organised in an L-shape. Upon bringing this up, Keisuke grinned at him.

"Realized that, did you?" he asked amused. "The truth is, the Tablet is a square. Two of four parts are here now, but the other two are still in the possession of the two cells who've yet to agree to your leadership," Keisuke explained. "In Heiyako's possession was your mother's segment, since Heiyako's cell was more closely related to her. In my cell's possession is the main one, as I am the oldest of the four Elders. When the four pieces are together, the Uzumaki Clan's full legacy will be revealed."

If anything, that just served to confuse Naruto even more. "What are you talking about? It's just more names, right?" Despite saying that, though, he could scarcely believe that despite the huge number of names already carved into the two segments that there were even more he hadn't seen. Hell, he could scarcely believe Keisuke was even functioning, given the amount of loss the Clan had suffered.

"Look," Keisuke merely ordered, pointing up to the main tablet. Following Keisuke's outstreched finger, Naruto looked up at the tablet and soon took a step back, having failed to notice what was inscribed there.

At the very center of the tablet, maybe a couple of meters above ground, lay carved the biggest swirl he'd seen, ending with a perfectly circular circumference. Underneath it, carved out with even more care than the names around it, were two simple words, underlined by a single sentence.

Uzumaki Clan

Founders and Protectors of Uzushiogakure

As Naruto looked on in awe, Keisuke smiled as he, too, gazed at the Clan's symbol. "Uzushio...our home...we founded it as a sanctuary for all those who wished to escape the mainland's constant warfare," he told Naruto. "Even though our cousins, Fire Country's Senju Clan, founded Konoha, we knew it was only a matter of time before it got dragged into war with its neighbours."

Keisuke held his hands behind his back. "People and Clans from all throughout the Elemental Continent and its outlying islands came to Uzushio for safety. All became our comrades, all _eventually _became...Uzumaki. For a while we managed to keep ourselves neutral. Yet, as the Great Wars broke out, we were forced to choose sides, and we chose Konoha."

Keisuke closed his eyes as he reminisced about those times. He could still remember with vivid clarity the chaos and desolation of the First, Second, and Third Great Shinobi Wars. "Even then, our names were widely known. Uzushio's Uzumaki Clan...the greatest Seal Masters the world had ever seen. Founders of the impenetrable Uzushiogakure and bearers of the most powerful Fūinjutsu ever conceived since the days of the Rikudo Sennin."

Naruto merely nodded along, remembering Keisuke's bold declaration of the night before.

"_The Uzumaki Clan! The greatest clan of Uzushio! The Seal Masters that made the Five Villages shit themselves in fear!"_

"We were the Great Village without the title," Keisuke remembered. "Our Village Chief a Kage without a hat. Not Kusa, nor Ame, nor Taki, nor Umi, or any other of the other minor villages stood a chance against us, and Iwa, Kumo, Suna, and Kiri were too scared to try. Only Konoha saw us as brothers, and so we lent out our aid exclusively to them," he told Naruto. "Until the day came when the other powers saw us as too powerful, too freely capable of taking on any of the Great Villages one-on-one to warrant tolerating our existence any longer."

Naruto looked down from the mighty Uzumaki Whirlpool to see Keisuke bow his head as the bad memories flooded his mind.

"Kiri was the first to speak out against us, then Umi. Iwa, despite being far away, had suffered at the hands of our seal arrays when it battled Konoha, and Kumo wasn't willing to allow a tiny nation such as ours become one of the Great Nations," he recalled sadly. "So they colluded and plotted together. Suna didn't, being too far removed and allies of Konoha, but they didn't exactly come to our defense, either. Konoha, for one reason or another, wasn't able to send aid, so when the strike finally came, Uzushio stood alone. One village, one nation against four."

"We fought bravely, both Uzushio's shinobi and the Daimyo's forces, but in the end the numbers levied against us were too great. Too many enemies had come to seek our destruction, and attrition dictated our loss," he told Naruto, who despite having often railed against history lessons at the Academy couldn't help but stay rapt with attention as Keisuke related to him the history of his family. "Eventually, the Daimyo was killed, and his forces were destroyed or captured, and so Uzushio stood alone against the combined might of three of the Great Villages, their nations' regular forces, and that of Umi."

"For thirty days and thirty-one nights we stood firm at the walls, our Seal Arrays slaughtering the enemy whenever they tried to break through," he recalled vividly, as he'd been one of those guarding the walls. Despite his advanced age, he had outright refused to stay hidden while others fought. Heiyako, he recalled, had been the same. "Repeatedly we were told to surrender, but we never did. Give up our homes? Give up our freedom? We were Uzumaki! We were Uzushio's greatest clan! We were born free and we would die free! Never as slaves of another nation!" he told Naruto fiercely, age-old passions bubbling within the man.

"But the time came when we would lose, we knew, so we needed a plan. A plan to conserve what number of us remained and to prevent the enemy from laying its hands on our prized techniques, which could spell the advent of another Great War. We weren't so foolish as to think Konoha would use it well forever; no one could be trusted with the power we had in our hands, and we couldn't very well carry every single scroll we had while we made our escape. So we did one better."

Keisuke walked up to the Tablet and placed his hand on a particular indentation Naruto hadn't noticed before, its shape vaguely that of a human hand. When he did, the area around it began to glow softly, and Naruto soon gaped as the Uzumaki Whirlpool glowed, too.

"We sealed our greatest techniques, all of our fūinjutsu, in the Memorial Tablet," Keisuke said with a proud smile as he looked up at the Whirlpool. "Every seal array we ever conceived of is kept hidden away in our greatest monument of our eternal sorrow. The names of every Uzumaki who gave his or her life for the Clan guard the very secrets that made our family one of the most feared clans in existence."

Now, Naruto may have held a justified reputation as a rather underwhelming academic, but even he could understand the full breadth of what Keisuke was telling him. Before him, in the very symbol of their clan, lay techniques that could make or break any village, any nation. The very legacy that had nearly had their clan nearly wiped out by jealous hands. Given that, only one thing came to mind as Naruto contemplated the enormity of what lay before him.

"_What._"

* * *

><p><em>Three days later...<em>

Naruto was still somewhat in shock at all the revelations he had been privy to a few days ago. Certainly, when Keisuke had woken him up to take him to the Memorial Tablet, he'd never imagined being introduced to the greatest discovery of the ninja world. All of the Uzumaki's prized fūinjutsu, held in one place? He could only guess how much people would pay for just a minute with that sort of collection.

At the same time, he slowly realized just how far people would go...how many would _kill_ for that sort of access. Keisuke had been right to point out no one could ever know about the Tablet's location; that much power in the hands of anyone but the Uzumaki would be catastrophic.

"Oi, Naruto!"

Naruto broke out of his thoughts as he turned to see Kiba and Shino walking up to him, the former's puppy resting comfortably on his head.

"Greetings, Uzumaki-san," Shino greeted him laconically.

"Hey, man, where've you been?" Kiba all but demanded after the two had shared a short fist bump. "The others have already been heading out to the Training Grounds for practice for these past two days!"

Naruto goggled at him, horrified. "EH?!" he shouted. "No fair! I couldn't even get out of the compound!"

Well, that was true enough, though he conveniently forgot that it was due to all the rampant partying and breathtaking revelations, followed by insane training sessions with cousin Kimiko and Hikari. In short, it was no one's fault but his.

Kiba and Shino, however, were completely unsympathetic, merely raising an eyebrow in Kiba's case. "You mean you guys are finally done building? All that sawdust is really starting to get annoying, you know."

"My companion is correct, Uzumaki-san. In situations such as this, you should have sent word to your comrades, so that we might know where you are. This is most troubling. Why? Because it hurts your friends' feelings when you keep things from them and make them think you're ditching them for fun," Shino added in his own peculiar fashion.

"Dude, nitpicking? Seriously? Not okay," Kiba interjected then, eliciting a nonchalant shrug from the bug user.

Naruto smacked his forehead as he realized he'd forgotten to tell his classmates about his new living arrangements...in fact, he'd forgotten to tell them all about the Uzumaki Clan and how they functioned in general. "Damn, that's right!" he groaned. "I totally forgot to tell you guys! Remember the graduation test? The original one, I mean," he quickly added as a shadow passed over his friends' faces. The new test, by mutual, unspoken consent, was a taboo subject.

And by mutual, unspoken consent, they meant Shikamaru had banned all talk about it, on pain of "humiliation the likes of which you have never felt before in your life via Kagemane. Clear?" as Shikamaru had put it.

"What about it?" asked Kiba as he crossed his arms behind his head.

Naruto quickly proceeded to fill in the gaps of his friends' knowledge of the events of that day, though he omitted any reference to the more confidential subjects of the furry tenant he held inside him and the Forbidden Scroll, as per the Hokage's orders.

By the end of it, Kiba was laughing while Shino had an eyebrow raised in surprise.

"Seriously? Man, that sounded intense!" Kiba noted with a grin. "Still, kinda explains a lot, especially the new exam. Figures it'd be your long-lost family's fault, eh? At least it explains some of Iruka-sensei's comments during the second test, and those old fogeys who were with the Hokage."

Shino nodded in agreement. "Indeed, Uzumaki-san. Like our classmate here, I, too, have been noticing the arrival of strange, redheaded new people around the village, and my kikaichu have noted their presence as well and their integration into our shinobi ranks. W—"

He was soon stopped from going any further by Kiba's hand on his shoulder. "We've really got to work on that habit of yours, man," the dog user mentioned in exasperation.

"I fail to see how my process of diction somehow requires help, Inuzuka-san," Shino subtly protested.

"It's nitpicking!"

"So you've said many times, Inuzuka-san. How is that a problem requiring help?"

Naruto gave the two an awkward smile as they rehashed an age-old argument they'd been having since they were both first-year students at the Academy. It sometimes made him feel a little jealous of his friends, since they all seemed to have a bickering partner or close friend. Ino and Sakura, Shikamaru and Choji, Kiba and Shino, Hinata and...err...

Come to think of it, Hinata was always quite quiet, wasn't she? More likely to be amongst a group by accident than by determination. After all, the reason she'd been part of his group with Shikamaru was because the lazy bastard had specifically targeted her for her skills.

Then again, she'd proven a fun comrade to have. At the very least, she seemed to be having fun whenever he and Shikamaru would argue.

"Anyway," Kiba spoke up, regaining Naruto's attention. "We were heading off to meet the others at the training field. We've still got a day before Kurenai-sensei and the others officially start the training, but we figured we might as well get some training in regardless, yeah? Wanna come along?"

Naruto grinned as he slammed a fist into a waiting palm. "Hell yeah! Lead the way!"

Kiba grinned right back, sharing his friend's excitement, right before remembering something a mutual friend of theirs had told the group a few days back. "Wait, Naruto," he suddenly spoke up, stopping his friends as they started walking towards the training fields.

Naruto blinked as he looked over his shoulder confusedly. "Eh? What's up, Kiba?"

"Ino said something interesting the other day," neither Shino nor Naruto could miss the half-repressed growing excitement in the feral boy's eyes. "Is it true? Did your clan teach you a new way of fighting? Even better than what you used against me in the exam?"

If Naruto hadn't known better, he would've sworn that Kiba's canines were growing. "...Maybe, so?" he asked nonchalantly. No sooner had he spoken that Kiba's finger was pointed right at him, right between the eyes.

"Then I want dibs on your first spar when we get to the grounds," the Inuzuka heir said with an excited grin. "That bastard Sasuke doesn't spar with anyone, Shikamaru's a lazy ass, Choji's a wimp, and it's just been too long since I've had a good, up-close brawl."

Naruto noted that Shino didn't seem the slightest bit offended by that remark. Then again, he couldn't really get offended by that, since Shino's personal combat style relied practically entirely on his insects. Knowing that, however, didn't make Naruto any more confident regarding his chances. Oh, sure, he'd give Kiba the fight he wanted, but having gone up against Takeshi, Natsu, and Hikari, he was now well aware of the fact that there were some people he was currently unable to even come close to.

Kiba, however much the boy yapped away about his strength, was a dangerous opponent to have, and Naruto knew it. Whatever the boy's reputation for troublemaking, Kiba had the most dangerous offensive capabilities in Taijutsu out of all the Genin, save perhaps for Sasuke. Even then, the two didn't compare. Whereas Sasuke's forte lay in pin-point strikes that dealt efficient, maximum damage, Kiba specialized in _wrecking_ his opponents.

Still, he wasn't one to back out of a fight — one thing he now knew was more genetic than simple stubbornness.

Grabbing Kiba's wrist and driving it to the side, Naruto gave his classmate an equally fierce grin. "Bring it, fleabag," he challenged, already feeling his blood boil with anticipation.

The two boys seemed mildly surprised by Naruto's bravado, but Shino quickly recovered with a stoic shrug while Kiba gave an amused laugh.

"Ha! That's right, if there's anyone who's more than happy to get down and dirty, it's you, isn't it?" Kiba commented as he thumbed his nose. "Better not regret those fighting words, Uzumaki," he said with a grin.

"Same to you, mutt," Naruto shot back without any real sting.

* * *

><p>"Oi, oi...what the <em>hell<em> is _this_?" mumbled Choji as he watched in awe as Kiba and Naruto squared off again after another heavy bout of fighting.

"Troublesome, that's what it is," Shikamaru commented as he, too, watched what had quickly become the main attraction of that day's training session. He flinched as Kiba narrowly missed Naruto with his clawed hands, only to receive a powerful palm strike to the back, launching the feral boy forward several meters. "Damn, that looked like it _hurt_!"

Ino winced as she remembered her own spars with the blond prior to the second graduation exam. She, too, had been on the receiving end of those palm strikes, though back then Naruto had foregone the use of chakra. Apparently, Kiba noticed that in their own initial bouts, and had loudly demanded that Naruto stop holding back on him.

The results were, predictably, quite painful.

Even so, the Genin, including Sasuke, could only watch in awe as Naruto and Kiba went at each other like possessed beasts; each grinning madly as they lost themselves in the fight, yet conscious enough to retain their battle tactics.

"When the hell did the moron get so good?" mumbled Sakura with wide eyes before flinching and whimpering as Kiba landed a particularly vicious right hook into Naruto's face. Blood spurted as Naruto's nose broke, but the blond seemed otherwise unfazed as he retaliated with his own strike into the Inuzuka's stomach, launching him away.

"He has been acquiring quality education, for once," Shino spoke up as he followed the battle behind his sunglasses. Despite his stoic demeanour, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Kiba, who was obviously having so much fun fighting with the blond. "Why, you ask? Simple. Now that he and his clan have finally reunited with one another, they are now teaching him their techniques, to which he was previously not privy to."

"Those guys just got here, though! How'd he get so good so quick?!" asked Sakura loudly, unknowingly stealing the words right out of Hinata's mouth, causing the shy girl to quickly look away, cursing the missed chance.

"Obviously not, duh," Ino eyed her love rival with a deadpan look, having known of the development thanks to her father's higher clearance. "Didn't you notice when he started showing up in passable clothes at the Academy? Obviously some of his kinsmen were around before the bulk arrived."

"The hell would I know, pig-face?" shot back Sakura.

"What was that, billboard-brow?" Ino demanded as she butted foreheads with her once best friend. The two soon locked hands as they began an impromptu battle to see who could push hardest.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru sighed, referring to both the girls and the fight before them. "Uzumaki Clan...so that's how it is, eh?" he mumbled, smiling slightly despite himself at his friend's good fortune. He knew all about the boy's lonely days as he'd grown up, and while he would still act horrified at the idea of being paired up with him on a team, Shikamaru was honestly happy for the blond that he'd found his family. Or vice versa. Whatever.

"I thought they were extinct," Sasuke spoke up, surprising the lazy genius as the raven-haired boy sat cross-legged beside him, obviously addressing him. "Wasn't that what Iruka said last time we went over history?"

"Obviously the records were wrong," Shikamaru pointed out, wincing as Naruto managed to deliver a heel kick into Kiba's chest, just for the Inuzuka heir to grab onto his leg and swing him overhead into the ground. "All things considered, it's not that surprising no one's heard of them till now."

"How do you figure?" asked Sasuke, ignoring the cat-fight behind him and keeping his eyes firmly on the class' dead last, a rank he was quickly starting to reconsider for the blond.

"Uzu was destroyed," Shikamaru noted. "Destroyed, not conquered. Not many countries have _ever_ been destroyed. Raided? Sure. Conquered? Just as common. Destroyed, though? It takes a special kind of fear to destroy a country."

"Don't you mean hate?" asked Sasuke, the very word eliciting unpleasant memories.

Shikamaru eyed the Rookie of the Year warily. "No; hate's rarely ever a pretext for war. Fear, though, now that's a common reason, as troublesome and stupid as it is," he stated. "Given that, you have to wonder, though; what kind of power did Uzushio...did the _Uzumaki_ have that they needed to be _destroyed_?" he posed the rhetorical question, aware that even the girls fighting behind him were quietly contemplating it.

A moment of silence passed, only broken by the sound of flesh hitting flesh as Naruto and Kiba continued their brutal spar.

"Still, what's that got to do with their absence, Shika?" Choji asked.

Shikamaru sighed before resting his head on an open palm. "If you'd just escaped total destruction, Choji, and you still had that sort of power...would _you_ want to stay out in the open for your enemies to find you?"

Another moment of silence, soon broken by a cry coming from the training ground as Naruto slid back from one of Kiba's blows, both arms bent at right angles slightly behind him and his palms now glowing slightly from accumulated chakra.

"Uzumaki Hakkeshoken!" the blond cried out, instantly catching Hinata and Ino's attention. The moment Kiba came within range, blissfully ignorant of what awaited him, Naruto shot his arms forward, landing both open palms onto Kiba's stomach. "Futago Tenkusho!"

Ino's eyes widened as the difference between her spar with Naruto and this one quickly became evident. With a loud blast, Kiba had barely time to widen his eyes before he was launched backwards by the sheer force of the chakra-enhanced blow.

"Holy shit!" breathed Choji as he dropped his bag of chips, having honestly not seen that coming. Sure, he'd heard about Ino and Naruto's pre-examination sparring session, but seeing it in action was a whole other thing altogether. Even Shikamaru, who'd been giving the fight a bored glance, had his eyes widen fractionally as he rethought his opinion of the blond. Clearly, the one person who'd truly taken to improving himself these past few weeks had been Naruto and no other.

"This fight is over," the lazy genius declared as he slowly pushed himself to his feet, earning him a few confused looks from his peers.

"What? How come?" demanded Ino before pointing towards where Kiba was slowly getting to his feet. "Kiba hasn't given up yet, and he's not out for the count!"

Shikamaru, for once, held a deadly serious look on his face as he pocketed his hands, shaking his head. "It's over," he repeated himself, just as Kiba suddenly doubled over, eyes wide in surprise as he suddenly vomited on the ground.

"Kiba!" yelled Ino as she ran towards him, followed quickly by Sakura and the rest, with the exception of Shino, Shikamaru, and Sasuke.

Shino, for his part, merely walked up to Shikamaru and eyed him behind his sunglasses. "How did you know?"

"That was a chakra laced attack," Shikamaru deduced correctly as he eyed his peers crowding around Kiba, who looked about a gentle breeze away from collapsing in a heap. Even Naruto, who looked like death warmed over, had gone (read: wobbled) over to see how his sparring partner was doing. "There's not many who can take one of those and get right back up, much less a Genin."

"Still..." he mused as he eyed the sweating blond. "I do wonder where he learned such a thing."

Sasuke nodded imperceptibly, having arrived at the same conclusion as Shikamaru, while Shino just gave a shrug, which both boys assumed meant he acknowledged the point.

Unbeknownst to the Genin, however, three more pairs of eyes were watching the sparring session, having already been observing their pre-official training sessions avidly for signs regarding where to start the official training.

Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma had endlessly debated the starting point for their training, with Kakashi suggesting a laid-back approach, with the occasional chakra control exercise, so as to allow them to develop their own techniques; Kurenai had put forth the idea of intensive, hands-on practice sessions in not just chakra control, but also genjutsu countering and taijutsu. Asuma then suggested a middle point, though both Kakashi and Kurenai could easily see he just didn't want to go through the hassle of having to defend his position.

After seeing the progress of the Genin, however, all three were finding themselves hard pressed to keep with their original plans. In particular, the blond-haired jinchuuriki (as Jonin, they were privy to such information) had blasted away any and all expectations they'd had of him. His (pre-Iruka) class records had indicated a loudmouthed brat with zero academic potential, but his performance in this one sparring session told them otherwise. Sure, they hadn't seen him perform anything other than Taijutsu, but if the Hokage's personal notations in the boy's files were correct and Asuma wasn't fibbing about his fight against his three Genin, he was also a proficient user of Kage Bunshin, even being able to pull off its significantly more dangerous variant, the Tajuu. That put two of the three main branches of ninjutsu firmly within his grasp, if nothing else.

Of course, both Asuma and Kakashi further realized the horrifically immense potential the boy held, if he was able to perform Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu on a usual basis; what Kurenai didn't know due to her junior status as Jonin was that the Kage Bunshin served as a fantastic tool for accelerated learning, since all of the clones could act independently and whatever they learned, the other clones and caster learned once dispelled.

Given these observations, the three Jonin sensei found themselves once again in their usual watering hole, musing their discoveries over drinks.

"...that kid's going to be either amazing, or the worst nightmare Konoha's ever seen in a long time," Asuma eventually spoke up. "Maybe even better than the Sannin, or worse than Itachi."

Kurenai blinked. "The Uchiha kid?"

Kakashi eyed Asuma before nodding. "No, Uzumaki."

Kurenai goggled. "Are you two drunk?" she asked rhetorically. "All he's shown is some mild proficiency in Taijutsu! Sure, he knows the Kage Bunshin, but so what?"

"Don't underestimate the Kage Bunshin," Kakashi warned her. "It's usually used for scouting, but it has...other, more creative uses."

"Such as?" challenged the raven haired Jonin.

The two senior Jonin shared another look before Asuma took it upon himself to inform his junior colleague of the training uses for Kage Bunshin. As he did so, both he and Kakashi noted her growing paleness as she quickly connected the dots. It wasn't long before she had to drink down a shot of hard liquor.

"Kami-sama..." she breathed as she felt her hands shaking around her glass. "That's...incredible. Hell...this is _all_ incredible!"

Asuma gave her an amused smile and raised his glass for a drink, but otherwise didn't object. Kakashi, however, was not as quiet.

"How do you figure?" asked the silver-haired Jonin.

"How many Jonin can say they have this kind of high calibre Genin under their supervision, huh?" she pointed out. "Holy _crap_, Kakashi, if we can train even half of them up to their full potential, we'll have given Konoha the most dangerous group of ninjas ever assembled since the Sannin!"

"That's a lot of responsibility, Kurenai," Kakashi pointed out calmly, the contents of his own glass suddenly disappearing. Both of his colleagues blinked in surprise — neither had seen him take a single shot of it. "And may I remind you we have no idea how to even _begin_ training them?"

"Ah, I'm so glad you put that out there," a voice interrupted in their conversation, causing the three Jonin to instantly gaze to their right as three strangers approached them.

"Who the hell are _you_?" asked Kurenai, already on the defensive. Neither Asuma nor Kakashi seemed bothered, however.

The lead stranger, a man with buzz-cut red hair and a matching beard wearing a black shirt and pants underneath a white trench coat, grinned at them. "Name's Uzumaki Kyokai," he introduced himself as he jutted a thumb in his own direction. "and these are Wakaba and Arashi, of the same family. The Clan sent us to discuss a possible training schedule for your brats."

"I've heard of you," Asuma spoke up before Kurenai could say anything. "Aren't you the new guys over at the Sensor and Interception Division?"

Kyokai grinned. "Some of them, yeah," he confirmed, figuring there was no harm in letting his new colleagues know. "Anyway, about our Clan's proposition..."

"Not interested," Kakashi stated immediately. "We might not know where to start, but they are _our_ responsibility."

"Even if it helps train them up to Sannin levels?" Arashi pressed with a knowing smile.

"Not if one of them ends up being the worst traitor to Konoha since Orochimaru and Itachi," Kakashi stated coolly.

"Well said," Kyokai complimented with a clap. "But still, that ain't gonna happen. Not with what we're proposing."

"Like I said, not interested," Kakashi stated flatly.

"What about your colleagues?" asked Wakaba as he eyed the two other Jonin, his gaze resting on Kurenai a moment longer than it'd been on Asuma.

Asuma shrugged. "I'm not dumb enough to piss off someone I have to work with. If Kakashi doesn't want your help, I'm going to go with no, too," he stated lazily before taking a drag out of his cigarette.

Kurenai fidgeted in her seat for a moment before eyeing Kakashi. "It...wouldn't hurt to hear them out, would it?" she suggested.

Kakashi frowned at her, but had to concede the point. "Fine. Five minutes," he told Kyokai, whose grin became even wider. "But no promises."

The redhead nodded as he sat down opposite the three Jonin, his clansmen flanking his chair. "That's all I need."

* * *

><p><strong>Glossary:<strong>

Names (Fairy Tail Homologue)

**Keisuke** (Makarov) - Uzumaki Clan Elder  
><strong>Heiyako<strong> (Poryushka) - Uzumaki Clan Elder  
><strong>Hiroki <strong>(Gildarts) - Uzumaki Clansman, father of Nobuko  
><strong>Raiden<strong> (Laxus) - Uzumaki Clansman, Grandson of Keisuke  
><strong>Akemi<strong> (Mirajane) - Uzumaki Clansman, First degree cousin of Raiden, older sister of Daisuke and Miyuki  
><strong>Daisuke<strong> (Elfman) - Uzumaki Clansman, younger brother of Akemi, older brother of Lisanna  
><strong>Miyuki<strong> (Lisanna) - Uzumaki Clansman, younger sister of Akemi and Daisuke  
><strong>Eiji<strong> (Fried) - Uzumaki Clansman, first degree cousin of Raiden and Akemi/Daisuke/Miyuki  
><strong>Yuki<strong> (Gray) - Uzumaki Clansman by marriage (stepson of Uzumaki Nana)  
><strong>Kimiko<strong> (Erza) - Uzumaki Clansman, second degree cousin of Raiden**  
><strong>**Nobuko** (Cana) - Uzumaki Clansman, daughter of Hiroki  
><strong>Takeshi<strong> (Gajeel) - Uzumaki Clansman  
><strong>Natsu<strong> (Natsu) - Uzumaki Clansman  
><strong>Hikari<strong> (Lucy) - Uzumaki Clansman, first degree cousin of Nobuko and Amaya  
><strong>Amaya<strong> (Juvia) - Uzumaki Clansman  
><strong>Sora<strong> (Wendy) - Uzumaki Clansman, third degree cousin of Natsu and Takeshi  
><strong>Maki<strong> (Levy) - Uzumaki Clansman, fourth degree cousin of Eiji, sixth degree cousin of Takeshi  
><strong>Kyokai <strong>(Macao) - Uzumaki Clansman; works in Sensor & Interception  
><strong>Wakaba<strong> (Wakaba) - Uzumaki Clansman; works in Sensor & Interception**  
><strong>

**_Post-AN: So, if you're reading this, you've decided to follow the instructions set out above. Good for you! :D_**

**_The reason for the poll is this: in the Fairy Tail mangaverse, there are hints of Lisanna (Miyuki)/Natsu (Natsu) and Levy (Maki)/Gajeel (Takeshi), among others. This chapter has introduced these former two, and so I've been wondering whether to keep that going or not. BEAR IN MIND: these pairings may not evolve into anything, they may not even last, will be subject to change as the story goes, and will NEVER take front seat, plot-wise (in terms of redirecting the plot's attention to the development of these pairings, as opposed to using them as plot vehicles for crises and the like [or omakes])._**

**_FURTHERMORE, the inclusion of these pairings will NEVER violate consanguinity prohibitions. This means there will be NO situations of brother/sister romantic relationships, or that of first cousins (like in the case of Hinata/Neji), and so forth. Any and all inter-Uzumaki pairings would be within VERY distant degrees of consanguinity._**

**_Also, one last thing - and this goes out to my anonymous reviewers:_**

**_The majority of you guys rock. You do. While I can't reply to your reviews directly to express that gratitude, I am no less gratified by your positive comments than with anyone else's._**

**_HOWEVER._**

**_For that minority of you who insist in posing questions I cannot answer in a timely fashion due to a lack of reply-able address, please either desist, provide the address in question, or just log in for a simple signed review. I know many of you value your privacy, but to be honest, having anonymous reviews that pose (answerable) questions without giving me a chance to respond in a timely fashion just comes off as trolling, which I'm fairly certain isn't your goal._**

**_Also, for void:_**

**_Your review makes sense but the Kage Bunshin comments are invalid for a very simple reason: the two examples of Kage Bunshin users you've provided are not only more mature than Naruto, but older and far more experienced, whereas Naruto is currently 13 in this story. Obviously their usage of the technique and the resiliency of the clones WILL differ. Just because our loveable rogue knows the technique doesn't mean he immediately knows it at its highest possible level._**

**_Also, thanks for the ice tea I won! :D_**

**_Cheers,_**

**_MB_**

**_PS: Sorry guys for the stupidly long Post-A/N!_**

**_December 16, 2013 Update: Chapter has been revised._**


	10. Lost Clan Arc: Expectations

_**AN: Chapter's up! Woo! Anyway, this one's a lot less about the comedy, a lot more about development, so expect less crazy.**_

* * *

><p>It was unfortunate, but apparently five minutes was <em>not<em> all Kyokai had needed.

Despite the impressive — the Jonin had to reluctantly admit — plan for educating the next generation of shinobi for Konoha, Kakashi had flat out refused the offer, sticking to his guns and confident that he was more than competent enough to teach the future generation.

His amazing fail rate of 100% of his previous Genin teams notwithstanding.

While the three Uzumaki ninja had politely excused themselves after having assured the three Jonin that there were no hard feelings, it was clear to Asuma and Kurenai, at least, that they were a bit more than a little disappointed.

"Was that really the wisest thing to do?" Kurenai asked worriedly. "It was a good plan, Kakashi..."

Asuma said nothing, content with puffing away at his cigarette and letting his colleagues duke this one out.

Kakashi, for his part, frowned at the newbie Jonin. "I admit, they had some solid points, but the matter remains the same — they're _our_ responsibility, and thus it is _our_ job to come up with a functional training program," he pointed out.

"There's no shame in branching out, Kakashi; the Uzumaki _did_ manage to hide underneath everyone's noses for over ten years. That takes a considerable amount of skill, which I'm sure the Genin could profit from interacting with."

"At the cost of clear hierarchies, though," Kakashi pointed out. "Under the old system, the Genin reported to their Jonin — end of line. With this new system, that hierarchy is already a little skewed by making _all_ Genin report to _all_ Jonin trainers. If we add the Uzumaki to the mix, it would mean making the Genin report to both Jonin and Uzumaki trainers, thereby endangering the authority of all trainers involved."

"Surely we'd train them to follow orders in the field, no?" Kurenai protested with a frown. "I mean, it sounds like you're assuming they'd play their trainers off each other, as though we were their parents and they were trying to weasel favours out of us."

"Aren't we, in a sense?" Kakashi rebutted. "We look after them in training, we look after them in the field, and we basically train them for future hardships in life; face it, Kurenai, we're basically their moms and dads while they're Genin. And if we accede to Uzumaki interference, it'll mean they could possibly go to them whenever we don't want them to learn something for their own good."

"You should have more faith in your pupils, Kakashi," Kurenai chided him. "Surely they're mature enough to—"

"They're twelve to thirteen year old, Kurenai," Kakashi reminded her pointedly. "In maybe a year or two, they'll hit puberty, and that's a whole 'nother can of worms waiting to get opened. I don't have to have _any _faith in them whatsoever at this stage. After training them for a while? Sure; they can go talk to whomever they want. But right now? They're easily influenced and likely to let their emotions dictate their actions."

Kurenai frowned but backed down, ceding the point to her colleague. "Still, it's such a waste; the Uzumaki clearly have a lot of talents to offer..."

Kakashi snorted. "I wouldn't worry about that," he assured her as he finished his drink with such speed that neither of his colleagues managed to glimpse his uncovered face. "If they're anything like Naruto, they'll train everything they want to disperse to him, and he'll try to teach the others."

Asuma chuckled, his cigarette wiggling with the movement. "Aye, that's my bet," he admitted as he crossed his arms and leaned back into his seat, glad the tough part was over with. "That boy's got no sense of secrets. Anything he knows, he'll likely share to anyone who's a friend. It's admirable, but if he's not careful it'll get him killed."

"One more thing to train him in, then," Kurenai said with a small smile; it still stung to have lost the earlier debate, but she was a big enough girl to get over it.

"Which, of course, brings us back to our _original_ problem," Kakashi noted with a single-eyed smile. "_How_?"

Both of his colleagues groaned.

* * *

><p><em>The next day...<em>

"I see, how troubling," Keisuke mumbled as Kyokai finished his report, cupping his chin with one hand. "We'd expected some resistance to our presence, but not this fiercely from the Jonin."

"Well, to be fair it was like...the one Jonin," Kyokai mentioned as he downed another cup of sake. "The one with the awesome knockers was pretty convinced, and the Hokage's son seemed pretty ambivalent."

"Still, Kakashi's pretty hot stuff amongst the Jonin ranks," Wakaba put in as he, too, partook another glass of wine and then bit down on his cigar. "Most of the local guys at the S&I Division all rave about how awesome he is. His refusal will probably cause a few other resistors to dig in their heels even more."

Keisuke sighed, idly tilting his head left just in time to avoid a flying bottle, courtesy of a small brawl at a nearby table in the Clan's newly inaugurated bar. It was somewhat telling of the Clan's dipsophilic vices that this was the third building (behind the Memorial Temple and the Dining/Clan Hall) to have been inaugurated.

"Like I said, troubling," he continued, tucking his hands inside the folds of the opposing sleeve. "I guess it was sort of a pipe dream to think that everyone would welcome us with open arms..."

Another tilt of his head allowed him to dodge a broken-off piece of some table, though it did manage to nail the person behind him. Ignoring the curse behind him, Keisuke scratched his cheek a little anxiously. "Heiyako won't be pleased, that's for sure."

"At least we can still train Naruto, right?" Kyokai pointed out with an easygoing grin. "So what if the other brats aren't up to scratch? Just means more limelight for the Uzumaki!" he laughed.

"The last time we had such limelight, we were nearly exterminated, Kyokai," Keisuke reminded both of them soberly, quickly managing to shut them up.

"Ah, right...sorry, Keisuke-choro," Kyokai apologized nervously. "Damn mouth always outrunning the brain and all..."

"Moron," Wakaba smirked as he bopped his old friend on the head.

Of course, this just served to piss Kyokai off, the infamously genetic Uzumaki temper flaring up in seconds. Grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt, Kyokai drew Wakaba close. "You want a piece of me, jackass?!"

Wakaba was all too happy to throw down, naturally. "Bring it on, old man!"

Within seconds, punches were flying and both men were drawn into the neighbouring brawl, leaving Keisuke alone at the table as he observed his surroundings descend into pure mayhem.

Casually picking up his cup, he masterfully avoided having it broken by means of a flying bottle. Tipping his head backwards as he drank it down, he managed to avoid a chair. Then, by leaning forward to sigh in satisfaction at the excellent quality of the wine, he somehow managed to dodge Kyokai's flying, unconscious body.

"Enjoying yourself, Choro-sama?" a familiarly feminine and cheerful voice asked him. Keisuke's melancholy evaporated as he looked up with a grin at Akemi's magnificent bust, or rather her clothed bust (but hey, a pervert's a pervert).

"Ah, Akemi-chan!" he greeted, not even bothering to hide his perversion-induced blush. "How was your day?"

"As you can see, quite hectic, Choro-sama, but thank you for asking," she said with a sweet smile that belied her other, far more lethal persona as one of the Clan's S-Ranked shinobi (by her clan's ranking system, anyway; Konoha's ranking system notwithstanding). Never having really been the front-line type of fighter, Akemi had naturally taken over as manager of the Clan's bar, where her far more useful skills as a capable administrator and drawing card would come in handy.

"And Daisuke? How _is_ your brother adjusting to this new village?" he asked kindly, tilting to the left to avoid a plate.

"MORONS! Rather than fight like little kids in the middle of the day, FIGHT WITH YOUR FISTS LIKE MEN!"

Keisuke sweatdropped at the declaration, but Akemi seemed entirely at ease with her brother embarrassing himself. "As you can see, he seems to have adjusted quite well, Choro-sama, thank you for asking."

"Daisuke-nii! Please don't destroy nee-chan's bar!" Miyuki was calling out to her brother from behind the bar. Needless to say, all three siblings had essentially taken over ownership and management of the bar — with Keisuke and Heiyako's permission, of course.

"Such a rowdy crowd," Keisuke noted while sweatdropping, his cup safely within his grasp as his table was reduced to splinters by Daisuke's massive frame being dropped on it.

"But isn't this fun?" Akemi asked with a cheerful smile, tilting her head slightly to avoid getting beaned with a bottle.

Keisuke had to give her that. Compared to how they'd been "living" before coming to Konoha, this was such an uplift to his soul he couldn't even begin to describe it. Before, everyone was just going through the motions, using these silly bar fights to keep morale up and remain close. Now, though, they didn't have that fear of being discovered hovering over their heads. These fights weren't out of desperation anymore so much as to just have fun and let loose.

Hard to believe it'd all begun with a clansman breaking the rules, or that it'd lead to finding the last potential Clan Head alive.

Gazing into his half-empty cup, Keisuke gave a small smile to his own, miniature reflection, not for the first time glad that things had turned out this way for his children — for he saw every clansman as his own child. They'd suffered enough, and it was high time to let them have their fun.

Then again...

He gulped down his drink and threw the empty cup down, smashing it to pieces — not that Akemi cared; there were enough craftsmen in the Uzumaki clan to fix everything up right as rain — and jumping down his seat, already releasing many of the seals tattooed with invisible ink all over his body.

"Alright, you lunkheads! Settle down or you're all getting a thrashing!" he roared as he charged into the brawl, leaving Akemi to smiled in exasperation and sigh as she watched her once-pristine bar get torn apart like a wet cloth. And it wasn't even midday!

Just a normal day for the Uzumaki.

* * *

><p><em>One day later...<em>

Admittedly, it was quite hard for Kakashi and his colleagues to formulate an adequate training regimen, especially since they found themselves having to plan for three times the students they'd expected.

Still, they weren't Jonin just because the Hokage had been bored one day and decided to promote them — whatever anyone else's feelings about them were, all three were legitimately good at what they did and were greatly trained to adapt to changing, unexpected circumstances.

They just weren't all that great at _teaching_.

Despite this obvious handicap, however, Kakashi _did_ manage to string together a decent start-up plan. First things first, they had to determine _exactly_ where each Genin stood in terms of skills and conditioning.

To that end, the first three days were endurance tests, whereby Kakashi and Asuma had a blast of a time throwing never-ending kunai at their students, who were under strict orders to dodge every single one; a single hit meaning automatic failure.

Unfortunately, these results — taken down by Kurenai as she observed the Genin desperately try to ward off failure as long as possible — did not please the Jonin kunoichi. At the very bottom were all three girls, none of whom lasted more than a few hours of constant dodging — Hinata being the only one to manage going two hours before getting hit, which Kurenai ascribed to the harsh training regimens of the Hyuuga clan. Ino and Sakura, however, were abysmal in their endurance conditioning, and it painfully showed with their 1.75 hour and 1.5 hour marks, respectively.

Okay, so admittedly they were still pretty young, but for a proud woman like Kurenai, having the females in the Genin lag behind was unacceptable. Besides, she was sure Anko had performed much better in her own youth.

"HA! Getting tired already, asshole?! Give up, it's no big deal!"

"I'm sorry, I can't _speak _MORON!"

Of course, it probably skewed expectations to compare the girls to the pair of Genin who were _still_ making Kakashi and Asuma throw blunted kunai their way.

Ignoring their half-dead teammates, who were all effectively done for the day, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto were the only two Genin still going strong, despite the amazing amount of sweat both boys were drenched in.

Apparently, once both had realized the other wasn't about to quit an hour into the test — thereby giving them victory by default — they'd begun competing even harder, dodging Kakashi and Asuma's (half-hearted) throwing tirelessly.

That was two hours ago.

"Alright, alright, that's enough," she announced as she raised her arm, prompting Kakashi and Asuma to stop throwing kunai at the two teens. Both Jonin gave her a grateful look — even if their throws weren't exactly up to par with their actual skill, throwing stuff for three hours was pretty damn draining. "Final score is a tie between Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke," she announced. "Well done, you two."

"Ha!" Naruto exclaimed, only showing signs of tiredness via his slightly-more-than-shallow breathing. "That was nothing!" he boasted as he smacked a fist into an open palm. "Uzumakis won't go down that easy!"

Sasuke, also showing mild signs of tiredness (not that he'd show them overtly either), merely smirked confidently. "Child's play," he assured the Jonin.

Kurenai rolled her eyes at both. What were they boasting about? This was simply a mild endurance test — if Kakashi and Asuma had been of a mind to do so, they'd have run the two into the ground in less than fifteen minutes.

"Quite," she acknowledged vaguely before eyeing the rest of the Genin. As expected, most of them were still on the ground, trying to get air back into their lungs. Kiba, the runner-up, was the most okay of the group, though both he and Akamaru were panting, the white puppy's fur slicked with his partner's sweat.

Following up were Shino, then surprisingly Choji, then Hinata, Ino, Sakura, and unsurprisingly last, Shikamaru, who'd all but given up within five minutes, having declared doing any more too troublesome.

While she was willing to take his words as a cover-up for his lack of stamina, the glint in Asuma's eye told her that perhaps the boy was being deliberately misleading.

Telling the Genin to relax while they conferred, the Jonin casually made their way out of hearing range (even Kiba and Naruto's preternaturally enhanced hearing), eyeing the Genin every once in a while to make sure they were still breathing.

"It's as we suspected; the Uchiha and Uzumaki kids are the most fit of the group," Asuma noted as he lit up a cigarette. "Their dynamic sucks, but they're the most capable in terms of stamina."

"That rivalry of theirs could be useful," Kakashi pointed out. "If we played them off each other, it could strengthen both of them."

"And possibly cause a team breakdown," Kurenai was quick to note, frowning at Kakashi. Unlike the cyclopedean Jonin, she wasn't quite ready to sacrifice team unity for the sake of individual growth. "We don't need two alphas in one team. If they have to compete, keep it out of official missions."

"Agreed," Asuma concurred, blowing out smoke.

Kakashi frowned, then sighed in defeat. "Alright; we'll have to keep their rivalry under close scrutiny to make sure it doesn't bleed into missions," he told his colleagues. "Other than those two, thoughts? Observations?"

"The girls are obviously less fit than the boys, with perhaps the exception of Shikamaru," Asuma pointed out. "Though I think he's deliberately setting himself up to fail to avoid doing more work."

"What makes you say that?" Kurenai asked, finally voicing her own doubts about the Nara heir. "He barely dodged any before you tagged him!"

"Exactly, but those few he did dodge were too skillful," Kakashi explained. "He always waited for the last second before moving, economizing his movements. He might not have been flashy like Sasuke and Naruto, but I can assure you, that kid's got skill."

"Which leaves us the problem of the girls," Asuma digressed, frowning. "The Hyūga girl's got pretty decent reflexes, but that hesitation of hers is going to cost her. Yamanaka and Haruno are just...well..."

"Aye," Kurenai agreed with a sigh, though she was privately glad that Hinata had gotten a good (well, fair) observation from Asuma, who'd been at this far longer than she had. "They have _a lot_ of work to do to catch up to the rest."

"Wishing we'd taken up the Uzumaki on their offer?" she then asked Kakashi, who frowned.

"No; it's a lot of work, but I think we can handle it. I say we run them through the usual endurance exercises, see where that goes. Throw in a few combat simulations to round them out with combat practice, and we should be good at least low C-ranks in two months or so."

His companions didn't seem as sure, given what they'd just seen from the Genin, but nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p><em>One week later...<em>

"OH SHIT!"

_KABOOM_

While Kakashi may have been right about the steady rate of progress the Genin would go through following his plan, it wasn't nearly as fast as other concerned parties would have wanted.

Namely, the Uzumaki.

"That was close, shrimp! Too close! React faster!" Takeshi called out to his pseudo-apprentice as he readied to unleash another jutsu on the poor future Clan Head.

"DAMNIT!" Naruto roared as he threw himself to the side, Takeshi's attack gouging out a decent chunk of earth with all the delicateness of a plow shot at the speed of sound. "Are you _trying_ to kill me?!"

"Yes," Takeshi answered deadpan before taking a deep breath, looking away from Naruto. "Uzumaki Jutsu no Ougi!"

A chill went down Naruto's spine at that moment. He hadn't ever seen this particular move used before, but it was infamous amongst the Clan. "Oh crap."

"Tetsuryu no Ho—!" he snapped back forward, his cheeks bloated, and was about to fire off his technique when he was suddenly kicked aside in the head. As a result, the chakra destabilized and a miniature explosion engulfed him. "GAH!"

"What the hell gives, Hikari?!" Takeshi roared as he managed to shake off the mild concussion he'd received and got to his feet.

"Moron," Hikari clicked her tongue in annoyance, with zero regard to the damage she'd inadvertently inflicted unto him. "Don't use that kind of move on the Clan Head; he's too young to dodge it."

"He'll need to learn _someday_," Takeshi growled. "Might as well be now!"

Hikari merely bopped Takeshi on the head. "You, shush," she ordered. "Teach him what Keisuke-choro said."

Takeshi growled, but nodded in defeat. "Fine," he grumbled as he went up to Naruto and towered over him. "Listen up, brat; the old man's not happy with your progress; says it's too slow."

Naruto glared up at Takeshi at the brat comment. "That's Kakashi's fault, not mine!"

"It's both of yours!" Takeshi snapped back, causing Naruto flinch. "If you really want to be strong, you don't need no meddling Jonin to tell you how to practice. You find someone else who's strong and ask _them_ for help!" he chided the boy. "So tell me, brat — do you _want_ to be strong?" he demanded.

Naruto stared up defiantly at Takeshi. "Of course I do!" he said.

"Prove it," Takeshi challenged with a non-too-friendly grin. "Uzumaki Hakkeshoken stance. Now," he punctuated his order with an open palmed blow to Naruto's chest, launching the boy back a ways away. "Starting on the wrong foot there, brat."

"You...cheated!" Naruto complained in between coughs as he desperately tried to refill his lungs with air.

Takeshi grinned. "Get used to it, brat," he answered without a care in the world. "Ain't no ready-set-go in real life, won't be any in my training. Get up and try again."

Naruto shakily got to his feet, the pain of Takeshi's strike still quite crippling (despite the fact that the man hadn't used an ounce of chakra in it), and managed to dodge just in time before Takeshi rammed another palm where he used to be a second ago.

"Not falling for that one again!" Naruto yelled defiantly.

Takeshi, however, merely turned and smiled evilly. "Oh?" he asked before disappearing from view.

Naruto had just enough time to have his eyes bulge before a familiar, growling voice spoke up from behind him. "Then what about this one?" he was asked, a split second before another palm strike, this time to his back, rammed him into the ground.

Naruto groaned as he felt himself taste dirt yet again. What was _wrong_ with Takeshi? Didn't he know how to hold _back_? The way he was beating him to the ground, you'd think the man had a grudge against him!

"Get up, brat, we're not done yet," the object of his immediate resentment spoke up. A good part of him wanted to tell the young man to screw off, but Naruto's competitive personality refused to submit to anyone. Shakily getting back to his feet, Naruto got ready to dodge again, but soon found that no attack was incoming.

Instead, Takeshi was just standing before him, arms crossed and expression disappointed. "Do you know why you just lost big time?" he asked roughly.

"Because you're an ass?" Naruto snarked, only to get smacked upside the head for his troubles.

"Watch it, brat," Takeshi warned. "It's simple; you keep dodging."

"Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?" Naruto asked, getting a little confused."

"Did I say, at any point, 'dodge'?" Takeshi asked. "No. I said: Uzumaki Hakkeshoken stance."

"But you keep hitting me before I can!" Naruto protested.

"So what?!" Takeshi snapped back, taking Naruto aback. "Did you ever pull back? Try to buy some time to get into the proper stance? Did you ever attempt a counter-attack?" Takeshi lectured. "No! You just jumped around, trying to dodge the attack of an opponent! Was that what I taught you when we first met?!"

Naruto was quiet as he listened to Takeshi's chiding. He hated to admit it, but the older clansman was right. All he'd done was run away from the boy's attack, without trying to strike back.

Takeshi raised one finger. "One hit. That's all it took to break your focus," he told Naruto. "That's pathetic. Unacceptable for a Clan Head, much _less_ an _Uzumaki_, and even _less_ for any student of mine. You want to stand tall and be one of us properly? Train. Train, train, train, train, train," he told Naruto. "If that Jonin doesn't give you what you need, you look for others who can, but you _never_ stop training."

Takeshi took a small breath and then glared down at his student. "Understood?"

Naruto was quiet for a moment before looking up, confidence brimming from those cerulean eyes. "Yeah. Got it."

"So you want to train some more, or call it quits?" Takeshi asked. "Bear in mind, I will _never_ go easy on you."

Naruto grinned. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked. "I'll pick option one!"

Takeshi grinned evilly. "Good," he praised before sliding into the Hakkeshoken stance. "Then get into the stance; I'll beat out those flaws of yours if I have to break every bone in your body to do it!"

This time, Naruto slid into the stance before Takeshi threw a hit, managing just barely to block it and launching his own counterstrike. The boy grinned. "Bring it on, metalhead!"

Watching from the sidelines, Hikari smiled as she watched the two shinobi duke it out. Takeshi was every bit as heartless as he'd promised to be, frequently slamming attacks into his apprentice that would have broken the resolve of most kids his age, but to Naruto's credit, he just got back up and corrected whatever flaw had allowed such a hit before resuming the spar.

"How's Tōshu-sama doing?"

Hikari was snapped out of her musings by the familiar voice of Kimiko, who'd taken it upon herself (or rather, was ordered by Keisuke after she nearly drove the Clan into the ground by making them work on the compound round the clock) to watch over the youngling. Still, she'd noticed a few clansmen shirking their duties and had asked Hikari to keep an eye on Naruto while she went and "fixed" their attitude.

"As well as can be expected, considering _Takeshi_'s the one training him." Hikari answered with a smile to the older girl. Like most of the Uzumaki girls younger than Kimiko, Hikari looked up to the young woman as a shinobi. She was widely considered the most powerful woman in the clan, and was sometimes judged at about the same level as Raiden, though both fell behind Keisuke and Hiroki.

The redhaired girl nodded, looking at Takeshi's brutal lesson stoically. "Hmm..." she agreed. "Tōshu-sama will improve quickly under Takeshi's guidance."

"Better him than Natsu, anyway," Hikari agreed, shuddering at the thought. While Natsu was personally a great friend and comrade to have in a fight, the idea of him teaching anyone was beyond laughable. To begin with, Natsu's combat style was almost purely instinctual, meaning there were no mechanics for him to teach _anyone_, and his jutsus were all _specifically _designed for his sole use, meaning it would be pointless for him to try to pass them on.

Takeshi, on the other hand, fought using specific fighting styles, honed by years of training and mastery. Combined with his unique jutsu techniques, they made him a true powerhouse on the battlefield.

Both failed to react when Takeshi delivered a downward kick at Naruto, who failed to dodge it in time and so got faceplanted into the ground for his mistake. While they couldn't hear what Takeshi subsequently yelled at the boy, it was rather easy to deduce.

"He was half a second late," Kimiko noted. While she was in charge of Naruto's protection, she knew he was in little danger of getting seriously maimed by Takeshi. Like most of the Clan, Takeshi felt very happy at the fact that they were no long in hiding, and wouldn't do something as stupid as seriously hurting the Clan Head. "His reflexes are good, but not great."

"Konoha Genin seem to be like that in general, though," Hikari allowed. "I had Okami keep watch on the initial training session they had with the Jonin; she wasn't impressed. Even then, though, Naruto...sama," she quickly added in the honorific, remembering that Kimiko frowned on those who forgot to show due respect. "managed to tie with the Rookie of the Year. So I guess that initial training we gave him didn't all go to waste."

"And yet it is not enough for him to tie," Kimiko opined, frowning at the future Clan Head's struggling form as he fought Takeshi. "He is our Clan Head, we must raise him to surpass his enemies, not merely match them."

Hikari smiled nervously, knowing that Kimiko's pride as an Uzumaki was practically unrivalled. Like her and Natsu, Kimiko's parents were long since dead, but unlike them, she'd clung onto the idea of the Clan rather than on her own strength. In a sense, she'd never moved on from the loss of her parents, and so armored her heart by protecting an image she had of the Clan.

"What of the comrades he surrounds himself with?" Kimiko asked then. "Are they adequate for Naruto-sama?"

Hikari scratched her cheek anxiously. "Eh...well...I wonder about that," she stalled. "R-Really...if you're not happy with Naruto-sama, I don't think the others would rate that well."

Hikari flinched as she heard the unmistakable sound of Kimiko's armored gauntlets curling into a fist. "That's unacceptable," the redhead muttered. "When's their next training session with the Jonin?"

"T-Tomorrow," Hikari supplied nervously. The last thing they needed was for Kimiko to end up causing trouble right now, especially since her abilities tended to exact overwhelming collateral damage. "B-But, Kimiko-san...Keisuke and Heiyako-choro don't want us interfering..."

"Rest assured, I will merely be observing," Kimiko told her younger cousin, though the glare on her face didn't lessen.

Somehow, Hikari doubted that. She doubted that _very_ much.

* * *

><p><em>The next evening...<em>

"This is unacceptable, Choro-sama!" Kimiko was protesting loudly in the dinner hall, slamming her palm down onto the tatami mats, causing them to bend as the force of the impact drove her hand almost into the wooden structure itself.

Predictably, nearly all conversation came to a screeching halt as everyone's attention turned to the normally taciturn and serious-minded disciplinarian of the clan. While no one felt brave enough to ask what was going on out loud, that didn't stop the whispers to start up.

Before her, Keisuke was shaking his head in disappointment, while Heiyako stared her down sternly. At their side, by their invitation at the start of dinner, was Naruto, who'd stumbled out of seiza and onto his butt by the force of Kimiko's angry palm strike.

"This is not the time for this discussion, Kimiko," Heiyako told her sternly. "We are in the middle of dining; this audience can wait until tomorrow."

"With respect, Heiyako-sama, it cannot!" Kimiko protested. "These Jonin the Hokage has assigned to the_ Tōshu Koho's_ group are sorry excuses for teachers! We should not allow them to sabotage his education any further than they are!"

"Don't you mean, _their_ education?" Keisuke corrected her calmly, though he, too, was now staring her down sternly. "Humble those emotions, Kimiko, before they consume you and lose you your argument."

"Aww, why not let her vent, gramps?" Raiden teased mockingly from directly across the room. "She's obviously all fired up about this!"

"Raiden..." Keisuke started in a warning tone.

"What? Ain't that what you always tell us? Don't keep things buried deep? Let it all out?" Raiden asked with a savage smile. "When's the last time any of us have seen Kimiko-_chan_ so passionate about something? I say let her have her say!"

Unfortunately for Keisuke and Heiyako, it seemed that much of the hall's occupants were thinking the same. Still, Keisuke and Heiyako knew better than to let them have their way. If whatever had Kimiko this riled up spread (and they had a fair enough idea of what it was), their fellow clansmen could start a feud with the allegedly offending parties.

"Enough," Keisuke stated firmly, flaring out some of his ki to bring everyone back into line. Predictably, the clansmen froze up — including Naruto, who looked about to keel over. "Did you think the weight of many would force us to concede, Kimiko?" he asked the girl with disappointment. "I thought you more mature than this. Please return to your seat; we shall speak of this later."

Naruto watched, a little uncertain, as Kimiko reluctantly got to her feet and shuffled away to her seat near the door to the hall. Silence once again descended on the hall as everyone went back to their meal, but the tension remained as the only sounds heard were the clicking of chopsticks.

For his part, Naruto felt a little disconcerted. This was the first time he'd seen his family break their normally festive attitudes and nearly descend into what looked like a heated fight. Not the fights he was used to seeing since they'd arrived, which were all more about having a good time, but an actual, emotionally charged fight.

Dinner, as a consequence, was a rather somber and quiet affair for once as people hesitated to get too rowdy for fear of infringing on what little patience the Elders had remaining. Sure, there was a _Tōshu Koho_ now, and technically _his_ opinion was the one that really mattered, but with Keisuke and Heiyako effectively his regents until he became Clan Head, and the fact that they were all raised to respect both Elders with utmost respect, no one had the guts to act out tonight — not even Natsu or Takeshi.

Worried about his clansman, even though he barely knew her, Naruto made towards Kimiko towards the end of dinner, but was quickly stopped by Takeshi, who put a restraining grip on his shoulder and shook his head.

"Leave her be; she's still pretty pissed," he noted as said enraged clanswoman stalked out of the door, her expression obviously quite angry.

"But..." Naruto wanted to protest, quite vocally, but was quickly silenced by Takeshi's grip tightening quite painfully.

"Trust me, you're better off not getting involved right now," the pierced teen advised his student.

Naruto was just about done with his patience, but nevertheless managed to keep it under wraps in the face of Takeshi's expression, which didn't seem pleased either. "...Fine," he conceded before looking towards the exit, where Kimiko had disappeared. "...you know, the Jonin aren't that bad...I mean..."

"They're bad," Takeshi corrected him before smacking his shoulder and moving past him towards the exit. "Anyway, same time tomorrow, brat. Don't be late," he called out in farewell as he, too, left the dining hall for where he'd pitched his tent.

Soon enough, everyone — even Keisuke and Heiyako — began leaving the hall, all of them sombre and thoughtful regarding the events during dinner. It was telling that nearly all of the alcohol provided for dinner remained; a worrying fact for the usually dipsophiliac Clan.

Leaving as well before he was left all alone in the hall, Naruto didn't take more than a few steps out towards the grounds when he noticed Hikari leaning against the dining hall's wall, apparently waiting for him. Motioning towards him to follow her, the redheaded, pigtailed girl led the young Clan Head candidate towards the training field where Takeshi had beaten him to a pulp earlier that day.

"Hikari-nee, why are we here?" he complained. "It's _wayyyy_ too late for training!"

Hikari ignored him, preferring instead to look up to the sky, where the stars shone like a wonderful glittering sea. Then, without warning, she collapsed to the ground on her back, startling Naruto.

"Hikari-nee!" he cried out.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she called out to him before he could bullrush towards her. "I just like to see the sky lying on my back," she told him.

"Eh?" Naruto wasn't one for such things. In hindsight, that might've been due to the fact that he was usually so concerned with getting as much attention as possible from others that he never paid attention to the finer things in life.

"You should try it," Hikari told him before patting the grass above her head. "Here, come on!"

Naruto stared at his strange cousin for a while before shrugging and slowly lying down on the grass as well, his hair only just touching hers. "...I don't get it," he told her bluntly after staring up at the sky for about thirty seconds.

Hikari smirked. "Don't think about it. Just look, shut up, and appreciate it."

Sighing, Naruto looked up at the starry night sky. What was so special about it? It was just stars and the moon!

"You know, we haven't always been able to look at this kind of sky," Hikari told him suddenly, her tone softer than he could remember it ever being.

"What'd ya mean?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Sometimes, we had to live in caves, or underground," Hikari recalled. "I was born in a cave. We were running again because one of our clansmen blew his cover on a mission near Iwa," she reminisced. "So we hid in these caves in the mountains near Kumo. There were so many we were able to hide out for two years — long enough for Iwa to give up entirely after Kumo began accusing them of spying."

Naruto frowned. "That's not right," he stated bluntly. "Why were you guys afraid of some Iwa assholes?" he asked. "Couldn't you just use your skills to take them out?"

"We were fewer then," Hikari reminded him. "My generation brought up the numbers recently, but back in the day, we were...maybe just sixty, seventy in the cell," she recalled. "We were all so scared, Naru-chan," she said with a sad smile. "I can't even begin to count the number of times everyone thought we were done for, every time we had a near miss. My dad died before I was born, and my mom died in childbirth, so I never had them to console me..."

"Hikari-nee..." Naruto started, only to be cut off again by Hikari.

"But Kimiko...she had it worse than anyone," she continued quickly. "She knew her parents. She lived with them till she was four. I can't really remember them, I was so young, but I do somewhat remember Kimiko back then..." she told him, smiling nostalgically. "She was so bright...so happy. She was everyone's friend. She held Natsu and Takeshi in line even back then whenever they got too out of hand."

"...what happened?" Naruto asked, his gut telling him he already knew.

"They died," she confirmed for him. "More accurately, they were murdered right before her eyes. All three had gone in undercover for a mission, but the target had hired a few veterans of the Uzushio campaign," Hikari informed him. "They recognized Kimiko's parents, despite their attempts at concealment, and lured them into a trap. They were killed on the spot and kidnapped Kimiko. Two days later, the old man and ten clansmen tracked them down and rescued Kimiko, but not before she was tortured for information."

She smiled as she heard Naruto growling. "Are you angry?" she asked.

A thump told her he'd smacked the ground. "You're damn right I am!" Naruto swore. "Who the hell tortures a kid?!"

"Our enemies do," Hikari informed him calmly. "Anyway, she came back in a pretty bad shape," she recalled. "Our healers took a few days just trying to stabilize her; we almost lost her a few times, too, it was so bad."

"But she's fine now, right?" Naruto asked as he rolled over onto his stomach and looked at Hikari's face. The girl's expression went blank.

"Physically, maybe," she conceded. "But she's still hurting emotionally, Naru-chan. She went through so much pain, had to watch her parents die...it stays with you, and the rage isn't helped by all the hiding and scurrying we had to do to stay alive," she explained. "She's angry at the world, Naruto. Not just Iwa, or Kumo, or any particular ninja; she's drowning in her own grief, so she protects the idea of the clan above all else as a way of holding onto something worthwhile in life."

Naruto blinked. "I don't get it."

Hikari sighed and gave him a tired smile. "She loves the Clan, Naruto, but not anyone in it. The idea of the Clan is much more powerful in her than that of the well-being of any single person within it. She's so afraid to trust anymore that she's shielded her heart from everyone behind those armors she wears," she explained, pleased when Naruto slowly nodded in understanding. "So she protects our image, our clansmen — but not because she cares for us individually, but because it protects the clan."

"And no one's tried to help Kimiko-nee?" Naruto asked, confused.

Hikari gave a chuckle devoid of mirth. "Oh, we've tried. But she's barred herself from getting attached to anyone. It's practically a hopeless cause."

Somehow, those words inflamed something in Naruto's soul. What hopeless? Hadn't he been called hopeless tons of times before, and now lived amongst what was once one of the most powerful clans in history? Hadn't he been called hopeless in school, and now graduated at a decent rank — one of the first of the Konoha shinobi to undergo the Genin Pool training program?

"I'll do it," he declared as he pushed himself off the grass.

Hikari almost smiled. "Do what, brat?" she asked in her usual reticent tone, although devoid of any sting.

"I'll reach Kimiko!" he stated firmly as he stared down at his cousin. "I'll bring her back to the Clan! Believe it!" he swore as he extended a fist towards Hikari in a show of confidence.

Hikari could almost laugh at how easy it'd been to pull this off. Instead, however, she gave him a dubious look. "Right. You'll succeed where others failed," she mocked. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"Wanna bet?" Naruto asked with a challenging grin.

Hikari raised an eyebrow. "Sure," she agreed before pointing up at him. "If you fail, you'll be my slave until you're fifteen."

Naruto swallowed. Hikari was a taskmaster if there ever was any. "And if I win?" he asked, trying to sound confident.

Hikari smiled. "If you win, I'll swear allegiance to you as rightful Clan Head right there and then." It was an amazing deal, to be honest. As he stood, Naruto was warmly welcomed into the Clan as one of their own, but he still had approximately zero standing as a future Clan Head. He hadn't done anything to warrant such standing, however, and so having Hikari — one of the prominent shinobi and distinguished summoners of the up-and-coming generation swear allegiance to him would be a substantial boost to him.

Not that Naruto knew any of that, of course. Instead, the blonde just grinned. That sounded awesome!

"You're on!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Post-AN: And there we go. I know everyone's (well, apparently most of you) enjoying the antics of the Uzumaki, but keep in mind that a clan whose members have been hunted refugees for over 18 years are bound to have issues buried under all that comedy.<strong>_

_**Anyway, we're soon coming up on Wave, so look forward to that! :D**_

_**-MB**_

_**EDIT: Also, it's a popular misconception that dogs don't sweat. They do, but through their feet, not their skin. Hence, if a sweating dog scratched itself, it would hypothetically be able to have its coat slick with sweat - arguably, very little, but coupled with saliva, it could in fact happen.**_

_**December 16, 2013 Update: Chapter has been revised.**_


	11. Lost Clan Arc: Training With My Friends

_**AN:** Yay! New chapter! Woo!_

_Before we begin, however, let me reiterate a few salient things:_

_1. Prior to the Shippuden time frame, there will be no romance amongst the Genin (or what passes for romance in this website, anyway). Crushes may exist and so forth, but something like serious dating, thoughts of marriage, etc... will not happen until MUCH LATER._

_2. PAIRINGS ARE NOT DECIDED. That's something I tend to decide on the fly._

_3. This is not a bash fic. I will not use this fic to justify wanton cruel and unusual punishment of any character (not even Madara) for what they did in the manga, nor will I depict them in a way that shows any character as irretrievably evil, unless already portrayed that way in the manga (so basically...Hidan and Kakuzu, I guess)._

_4. This arc is coming to an end, and Wave approacheth, so expect more action and less face time from those not present (a few interlude chapters will pop up to explore the others' experiences, however)._

_5. Finally, as asked by a concerned reader, I will try to remember to include "summary paragraphs" at the beginning of every chapter, beginning here._

* * *

><p><strong><em>Previously, on Legacy of Uzushiogakure...<em>**

_Following the surprise reveal of the Uzumaki Clan's survival following their near-extinction during the Fall of Uzushiogakure, Naruto has been declared the future Clan Head by two of the four cells that comprise the totality of the Uzumaki Clan's survivors. Until he has reached the age of 18, however, he is unable to wield his title fully, and his power over the Clan rests precariously on his ability to rally the clansmen to his side - a feat he has yet to do, despite the goodwill of his clansmen. To that end, and following a new Genin Exam as a result of Uzumaki interference, Naruto has been assigned to the newly christened Genin Pool of Konoha, where he and eight others of his classmates are now training to become professional shinobi at the hands of elite Jonin Hatake Kakashi, Yuuhi Kurenai, and Sarutobi Asuma. Despite this, his training regimen has been criticized by those in the Clan who feel the Jonin are wasting Naruto's time and holding him back, chief amongst these detractors being Uzumaki Kimiko, the fourth most powerful Uzumaki clansman and the psychologically traumatized disciplinarian of the clan. With nearly a month of training under their belts, how will the Genin, and especially Naruto, measure up to Kimiko's standards?_

* * *

><p><strong><em>One week and a half later...<em>**

If Naruto thought breaking through to Kimiko would be easy, he was in for an unpleasant surprise.

The redheaded disciplinarian was about as approachable as arctic ice, and the fact that she saw him as weak made it even harder to get her to even acknowledge him as anything other than the "future Clan Head." It seemed, in his opinion, that he didn't even rank as a human being in her eyes, which was sort of hurtful, considering they were all supposed to be family.

At least it wasn't about the fox, though.

But then, perhaps it had been his own preconceptions about all families being happy that were at fault. He'd already seen that his clansmen had suffered quite a bit, yet assumed they were all fine with that suffering?

Regardless, Kimiko's rejection of him did manage something positive — it drove Naruto to become stronger. After all, if it was his strength that would gain her respect, then he needed to prove to her that he could become the Clan Head she expected of him.

THWACK.

Naruto exhaled as he brought down a palm and parried Sasuke's attack, the two boys training as per Kakashi's direction.

While Kimiko was still quite against the Jonin's teaching methods, Naruto wasn't as willing to forego all credit. Sure, his clansmen were cramming more and more information with each day, but Kakashi was no slouch either.

After the (pointless, in his opinion) endurance test, the Jonin had really gotten into gear, having apparently finally come up with a decent training regimen for all nine rookies. To that end, Kakashi, who was unofficially heading the Jonin trainers, had put all nine rookies to practicing their Taijutsu in spars during the morning, followed by basics in chakra control in the afternoon, and finally genjutsu recognition and basic countermeasures in the early evening.

Shino, the most level-headed of the group, had naturally inquired about training in blood limits and clan techniques, to which Kakashi had bluntly pointed out that as none of the Jonin were party to such clan secrets and kekkei genkai, there was no point in them teaching them anything about those — with the exception of Sasuke, to whom Kakashi could teach him _some_ of what the Sharingan could do (being an artificial implant and holding only one Sharingan, there was also a limit to what Kakashi knew and could use).

Frankly, Naruto was glad for it, because Keisuke, Takeshi, and Heiyako had utterly forbidden him from sharing what clan secrets and techniques he knew with the others. It didn't seem that reasonable to him, but then Takeshi had threatened him with a hellish training course the likes of which he would not survive if he ever spilled the beans on his techniques.

Then he put Naruto through a milder version of said course just for kicks.

Naruto quickly crouched down as Sasuke's fist flew overhead, the Uchiha genius not one for letting an opening, however small, go by unused. Naruto quickly countered with a sweeping kick to his legs, which Sasuke quickly jumped over, his hands immediately going for his stomach when he realized Naruto's follow-up was a kick to the stomach. The raven-haired boy was just able to beat Naruto to the punch, catching the blond's foot and pushing himself backwards, back on his feet.

Both boys slid back into their ready stance.

"Alright, alright, hotheads, that's good enough," Kakashi called out lazily, his attention apparently caught by the orange book he always carried and which the females in the group knew only as a crime towards women everywhere. "Tie match between Naruto and Sasuke. Anyone want to tell me why neither won?" he asked the watching Genin — an aspect Kurenai had suggested to teach the Genin how each other fought.

Sakura raised her hand. "They're too evenly matched!" she called out just as Kakashi pointed to her.

"Alright, half-point," Kakashi acknowledged lazily, never taking his eye off his favorite book. Without looking, he pointed next to Ino, who frowned as he kept reading. "What about you?"

"They're too eager to fight each other to properly pay attention to vital openings," the Yamanaka heir reasonably deduced.

"Correct," Kakashi agreed as he closed the book with a soft thump and looked at the two panting Genin. "You two agree?" he asked.

Naruto was breathing heavily, wiping the sweat off his brow with one arm as he remained in a ready stance, his whole body moving in rhythm with his breathing. "...yeah," he admitted. "I guess I kinda lost track there; fighting the jerk was too much fun."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow as Naruto openly admitted his fault. The boy was certainly making progress in that area, even if he and Sasuke kept insulting each other. Now, would the Uchiha do the same...?

"...she's right," Sasuke agreed after a moment with an irritated click of his tongue, agreeing with Ino rather than Naruto, as his pride would never allow him to do so. "I lost focus fighting the idiot."

Kakashi nodded, pleased that both were willing to admit as much, though he really wished it didn't always end up with glaring contests between the two. "Good. Any vital openings anyone noticed during the fight?" he asked his audience.

Kiba raised his hand. "Yes, Kiba," Kakashi called on him.

"Naruto's opening strike is always a left palm, but he leaves his right guard too low," the Inuzuka heir pointed out. "And Sasuke's dodges keep him always in the middle of the fight, so he gets tired more easily."

"Both true," Kakashi agreed. "Anyone else?"

He wasn't too surprised when no one raised their hand. While he could identify many other weaknesses in the boys' styles, these kids were still Genin, so it was natural that they couldn't identify the more glaring errors the boys had displayed.

"Alright then; Naruto, Sasuke, take a seat. Ino, Sakura, you're up."

And so the pattern repeated itself as the fights played out, this latest match getting much more critical feedback after it was done. No surprise there, as neither girl was particularly trained for combat. Oh, sure, the Yamanaka's were no slouches in Taijutsu, but neither were they particularly good — and since Ino favoured her clan techniques more than physical fighting, it was no surprise that even with her clan advantage that she and Sakura weren't at the top of their class in this field.

Surprisingly, however, it was Hinata who pointed out the two girls' faults in their stances and movements. Kakashi guessed it had to do with the way the Hyūga normally trained, but it was still pleasant to see a Genin with a sharp eye for this sort of thing. At the very least, it nicely deducted from his own workload.

Another hour passed, breaks included naturally, before Kakashi decided to mix things up.

"Alright, kiddies, time for something a little different," he informed them. Those magical words seemed to grab all of the kids' attention, making him smile to himself as he thought of how easy it was to manipulate these children to listen to him. "You're all somewhat familiar with seeing each other fight; but how about fighting alongside each other?" he pointed out.

As he spoke, Kakashi lazily eyed the new generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho; no doubt their parents had already begun informing them how to best use their abilities in conjunction with each other, but he doubted even Shikaku had properly expounded to Shikamaru how to use his skills alongside other combinations.

Then again, Kakashi couldn't blame anyone but the Hokage for that — up until recently, everyone had been working with the idea of Genin teams in mind. This whole Genin Pool thing had knocked everyone off their rhythm.

"Ino and Naruto, you're team one," he picked at random, prompting a look of confusion from the girl and a shrug from Naruto. Interesting. "Sakura and Choji — team two; Hinata and Kiba — three; Sasuke and Shino, team four. Shikamaru, you're on observation for now," he informed the spiky-haired kid, who shrugged in disinterest and lay down on the grass. "Matches are: Team One versus Team Three; Team Two versus Team Four."

Talk about uneven team matches. Kakashi knew for a fact that Hinata and Kiba on a team could, for example and if trained right, be downright unstoppable. Hinata's Jūken and Kiba's clan's overwhelming attack techniques could provide not just powerful attacks, but also a powerful defense. Facing those two would be a real challenge for Ino and Naruto.

Shino and Sasuke was another interesting combination. The Aburame heir might not be flashy, but the boy had a decent head on his shoulders, and Sasuke was Rookie of the Year for a good reason. Between the two, Kakashi had no doubts that they'd make Sakura and Choji sweat, and expected them to come out victorious.

"Matches are ten minutes," he further expounded. "No chakra — just Taijutsu."

Groans answered his ruling. Kakashi shrugged in disinterest at their protests. "Deal with it, kiddies," he said with an ocular smile. "The good ninja isn't the one who can throw around the most chakra; it's the one who can beat his opponent using as little as possible."

An interesting philosophy to have, considering he was the reputed master of a thousands techniques. Hell, just saying those words — forced onto him by Asuma — made him feel a little like Gai, minus the whole ridiculous leotard and shouts regarding YOUTH.

Speaking of which, where the hell was that guy? Ever since he'd gotten a team, Gai had been surprisingly absent from Kakashi's general vicinity, for which the cyclopean Jonin was grateful, since it meant an end to those pointless challenges.

...Okay, so maybe he missed them a little. If nothing else, they were a great way to keep himself busy on otherwise dull days.

Watching as the little munchkins drew together into their teams, Kakashi wondered how this training session would've gone if he'd just had the three Genin instead of nine to supervise. Surely, they'd be much further ahead by now, right?

"Start," he called out as they squared off into their assigned brackets.

Oh my, a nice start from Team Four — Sasuke burst forward and spear tackled Choji while Shino distracted Sakura. Odd, though; he hadn't noticed the two conferring. Perhaps it was just good group synergy?

Moving his attention towards a more even match, Kakashi watched as Ino and Naruto jumped back and back again as Kiba went at them like a dog chasing away challengers in his territory. Those clawed hands of his, in particular, were crazy dangerous, particularly since the Inuzuka promoted sharpening their nails and strengthening their durability until they more accurately resemble claws.

Kiba did make one mistake, however.

"Team three's going to lose," Shikamaru noted lazily as he continued laying on the ground, looking up at the clouds beside him.

Kakashi agreed, but didn't know why the alleged genius thought so too. "Oh?" Kakashi asked, curious about the boy's assessment. Perhaps this was one way of figuring out if Asuma was bluffing or not regarding the boy's intellect.

"He left Hinata behind," the Nara heir pointed out before closing his eyes.

Indeed, as Shikamaru had noted, Kiba had gone on the offensive from the get go, but Hinata had been slower to react, being both unsure about attacking her crush, as well as emotionally disturbed at the thought of attacking her friends. The result was that Kiba was a good four meters ahead of her, while she was only just now starting to move.

"Good eye," Kakashi mumbled to himself as he flipped a page of his orange book, now open again. He blushed as a particularly racy passage came up. "Oh my, Akemi-chan, how naughty!"

Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. Troublesome teachers.

* * *

><p>"HAHA! Come on, Naruto, what's the matter?!" Kiba was laughing like a maniac as he clawed at his opponents. "You weren't this afraid of fighting when we sparred last time!"<p>

Naruto's hand twitched as he jumped back again, Ino following soon after, glaring at him. Ordinarily, Naruto would've been just as happy as his opponent to fight, but Takeshi had warned him that he was being watched as he trained by his clansmen, and if any of them told him that he'd mindlessly charged in again, pain would be had. Pain the likes of which would make Uchiha Madara himself (the equivalent of the Devil to the Uzumaki) wet himself.

Then Takeshi had laughed like a crazy person.

Honestly, Naruto wondered about his clan's sanity at times.

"Oi, moron, when the hell are we going to fight him?!" Ino shouted at him, irritated by all the fleeing. She might have had more respect for him for his substantial growth since the Uzumaki first shook things up, but that didn't exempt him from contempt if he acted like an idiot either.

Naruto didn't deign her with a reply. Honestly, why couldn't Ino be a little quieter about her opinions? Like Sakura, for instance!

...Ignoring the fact that Naruto's perception of Sakura was about as realistic as a drunkard's hallucination.

Eyeing Kiba's partner behind the feral boy, Naruto mentally judged the distance between the two. He'd seen Hinata fight before (albeit only in spars), and he knew how fast she could travel distances when she fought. A few more meters and then...

NOW!

Landing from a final jump backwards, Naruto leaned back just as Kiba's swipe would've left a nasty gash across his face. Sliding into the Hakkeshoken stance, Naruto grinned. "Sorry to keep you waiting, mutt," he taunted before twisting his body and throwing his entire weight into the palm strike to the boy's stomach. "_Rasensho_!"

Kiba, however, had the dubious advantage of having fought Naruto before, and thus knew a little bit about the blond's style. Quickly bringing his arms down to protect his stomach, he managed to block most of the blow, but was still launched back from the sheer force of impact.

Ino, meanwhile, landed in a crouched position slightly behind Naruto, looking stunned by the sudden turn of events. "What the hell was that?"

"Tactics," Naruto said with a confident smirk as he motioned for the recuperating Kiba to come at him. "Hard to forget them when your trainer beats it into your skull every second of the day."

* * *

><p>'<em>He must mean Uzumaki Takeshi<em>,' Kakashi thought, having made the connection between the pierced Uzumaki boy and the Hakkeshoken since the Forbidden Scroll incident. Narrowing his eye just a bit over the edge of his book, he did have to give it to Naruto's trainer that the boy had improved leaps and bounds over what his pre-retake exam profile had suggested.

The cyclopean Jonin watched as both matches continued, with the Team 2 vs. Team 4 being the most one-sided affair he'd ever seen. While Choji was able to take a _lot_ of punishment from Sasuke, who was under strict instructions to avoid doing too much harm to his fellow Genin, Sakura was easily being outmanoeuvred by Shino, who looked positively bored with the whole thing as he continued to land light precision strikes to what would otherwise be vital areas.

Unsurprising, really; though it did make him question her motivation for becoming shinobi. Was she really just as shallow as she'd made herself out to be during the initial self-presentations? If so, she was already on the bad track, as he doubted Sasuke would even turn to look at a girl he considered weak.

Though, really, perhaps it was his own fault too. Kakashi knew exactly what he was putting the two through when he pitted them against Shino and Sasuke, and he hoped the lesson they garnered from the fight would stick — namely, that they had to shape up or be left in the dust. Sasuke himself represented the upper tier of the Genin, while Shino was a decent middle/upper-low. The fact that they could so easily toy with the two meant that the gap of skill wasn't a matter of the members of team four being too strong, but that the members of team two were too weak.

Hopefully, this would fuel their desire to improve. He knew Asuma had a soft spot for Choji, and really wanted the kid to excel, while Kurenai just wanted Sakura to either shape up as a proper kunoichi, or get out of the program. Kakashi himself had no real attachment to either, really, though he supposed he did see a little of Rin in the pink-haired girl.

Just a little, though.

The sound of someone coming up behind him caught his attention then.

"How're they coming along?" That was Asuma — he'd recognize that stink of tobacco anywhere.

"And how come Mr. Nara here isn't practicing?" ...and there's Kurenai. From hearing her, you'd swear Kakashi was neglectful or something!

"Uneven teams," Kakashi answered simply, flipping another page. "And they're doing just fine. Have a look."

As they did, Kakashi realized that the time must've been approaching noon. That meant a lunch break for the kiddies, then training with Asuma. It also meant he'd have a two hour break before Asuma brought him in to help with overseeing the different chakra control exercises, as they'd noticed everyone seemed to be at their own level.

Then, of course, he had to play dummy as Kurenai used him to showcase the different effects of genjutsu. That was always fun.

Kakashi sighed. Man, maybe he should've just stuck with ANBU work.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Training Field 40, one week later...<em>**

"Oh man, did you guys see that fight?! It was totally awesome!"

Ino sighed as she listened to Naruto rave about their recent fight against Hinata and Kiba again. Having finished their morning training, the group had once again decided to spend lunch together, but since Naruto had obstinately decided they should have ramen, and Ichiraku's was far too small for all nine to comfortably eat, they'd bought their food and come to their next training field for an impromptu picnic.

During which, of course, Naruto started gloating about beating Kiba. Again.

Well, to be fair, their score was like...25 wins, 25 losses each. Not one to be outdone, Kiba had taken to asking his clansmen for tips and training during his off hours, all to just compete with Naruto. Sasuke, too, seemed somewhat interested in the small competition, and so often trounced them both to remind them he was still on top.

"For the third time, Naruto, we get it!" Sakura snapped at him as she broke apart her chopsticks. Unlike the others, she and Choji were in the worst shape of all, having undergone a completely one-sided fight in which it became abundantly clear how low she ranked. Choji, at least, had held his own enough for Asuma to compliment him. Even so, both had numerous scratches and small bandages on them to prove their ordeal.

"Yeah, it was a good fight!" Kiba agreed with a competitive grin. "But next time's going to be my win, Naruto! Just wait and see!"

"Bring it, mutt!" Naruto shot back with the same grin.

"Keep barking, you're both without bite," Sasuke commented neutrally as he ate. While Kiba and Naruto both glared at him and challenged him to another fight — without malice, of course — the others couldn't help but see this whole thing as a king telling his dogs to settle down.

"Man...can't you guys tone it down? How's a guy supposed to nap?" Shikamaru complained as he, as usual, lay on the grass, eyes closed and hands behind his head as a pillow. "So troublesome."

Ino glared at him and just leaned in with an evil smirk. "Second exam," she whispered, causing Shikamaru to twitch violently. Next to her, Choji chuckled as he ate his second bowl.

The Nara heir glared at her and sat up. "Damnit woman, now I can't rest!"

"Serves you right!" Ino shot back as she poked him in the chest with a chopstick. "You didn't even fight this time around either!"

"Uneven teams!"

"That's just an excuse!"

Shino and Hinata, the two quiet ones of the group, merely watched as the spontaneous picnic showcased the various quirks of the group in companionable silence; Shino's ramen somehow disappearing without him having even touched the bowl (everyone suspected his bugs had done the feeding there), and Hinata eating with the proper manners expected of a clan heiress.

Lunch continued much in this fashion as the group continued ribbing each other and swapping stories — though Sasuke, naturally, remained somewhat aloof in this by contributing only via grunts or sarcastic comments that were purposely made to incite Kiba and Naruto to challenge him to another fight (which everyone knew would result in a win in Sasuke's favor at this point).

"I'm not kidding, either!" Naruto said as he acted out the dance Keisuke and Hiroki had done during his welcoming party. His fellow Genin were, of course, laughing quite hard at the scene. "They were both totally hammered, and then cousin Akemi joins in just for kicks! It was hilarious!"

Even Sasuke had cracked a small smile as Naruto recounted the crazy antics of his clan. While he'd been initially wary of the sudden appearance of these foreigners in Konoha, and then dismissed them for being way too crazy to be any strong, he'd had to revisit his opinion of them several times after having fought Naruto.

Naruto, who was the class idiot. Naruto, who came close to beating him numerous times with that new fighting style of his. Naruto, who despite having been alone for most of his life, now had a clan to fall back onto.

Sasuke couldn't deny being jealous; he still had to go back to an empty apartment every day, knowing that his family was either dead or the greatest traitor in recent Konoha history. It was lonely, soul-crushing, and a situation that easily worked towards increasing his anger.

But recently it had lessened...a little.

And loathe as he was to admit it, Sasuke had to give credit for that to the other Genin for including him, starting with that innocent celebratory luncheon Shikamaru had invited him to following the bell test. While he'd been initially apprehensive of joining them in their escapades, the easy-going camaraderie of the other Genin had done wonders in getting him to relax.

Oh sure, he still thought they were mostly weaklings — Shikamaru excepted, having seen the boy genius at work — but at least they were..._okay_ to hang around with.

Even Sakura and Ino seemed to stop hanging off him as they had at the Academy. Oh, sure, they still competed with each other for his attention (regardless of the fact that he'd made it abundantly clear he wasn't interested), but at least they weren't asking "what do you think, Sasuke-kun?" every five seconds.

...Now it tended to be every ten minutes or so.

"Hey, when do you guys think we'll get our first real mission?" Kiba asked then, referring to the fact that they'd recently begun doing D-ranks in the morning, thereby cutting into their Taijutsu training — which was okay, in a sense, since Kakashi had decreed that they ought to now focus on chakra control, since they were still sub-par, with the exception of Sakura, Ino, and Hinata, who outshone the boys massively in that department.

While at first they'd all been super excited about starting to perform shinobi missions, the romance of it had quickly dwindled to frustration as they realized they were little more than glorified go-fers. Chasing after a stray cat (whom the Genin were unanimously convinced was the reincarnation of some unholy entity), shopping for some old person's groceries, helping with construction (Naruto's clones really came in handy there), or pulling weeds...no task was too demeaning apparently, and their Jonin trainers loved every moment of it, from the evil grins on their faces (or evil eye smile from Kakashi).

"Not soon," Shino opined as he quietly enjoyed the companionship, his gaze focused on one of his bugs on his index finger scurrying around. The other Genin had to get used to the Aburame heir's tenants quite fast, so the sight wasn't quite _as_ nauseous as it once had been. That said, Naruto still threatened Shino regularly to disembowel him with a spoon if he ever saw Shino's kikkai in his ramen.

_That_ comment prompted an hour-long debate regarding whether it was even possible or not to disembowel a person with a spoon.

"Why? Because the Jonin are reluctant to commit us to any dangerous situations," Shino explained unnecessarily. "Why? Because they do not believe us to be ready for them."

"_Really_ wish you'd stop nitpicking like that," Kiba sighed as he tossed a piece of specially prepared meat to Akamaru, who yipped in thanks.

Shino said nothing, but the others could swear a knowing smirk had formed behind that high collar of his.

"Anyway, he's right," Sakura agreed as she clapped her hands once in thanks for the food. "I heard most teams don't get C-ranks until like...their fourth, fifth month."

"What?! That's totally crap, though! I mean, look at us: we rock!" Naruto complained. "Didn't Asuma say he was impressed with how much we were growing?"

"Asuma-_sensei_," Ino corrected him with a frustrated sigh. Trust Naruto to forget to include the proper honorifics. Heck, he never used them with the other Genin, except maybe for the girls, to whom he all added -chan.

"Who cares? It's not like he's here," Naruto said with a shrug. "And you know I'm right! We could totally do a C-rank!"

"Moron," Shikamaru shot him down. "C-Ranks are the first types of missions we get where we leave the village. It's dangerous to send rookies like us out in the field this early on. I think the Jonin are right; let's leave the C-ranks to later."

Sakura snorted. "You just want don't want to work harder."

Shikamaru neither denied nor confirmed that. Instead, he just rolled on his side. "Troublesome."

"I don't think we're ready either..." Choji spoke up then as he finished another gulp of ramen. "I mean, what if the people we fight in the C-ranks are really scary and strong? We're not really there yet..."

Kiba laughed as he slung an arm around the heavy boy's shoulders. "Man, don't worry about it! I'm with Naruto on this one!" Yet another mindless boy who forgot honorifics. "We've been practicing our asses off in team combat for a week now! We should be fine!"

Ino rolled her eyes. Trust the two fighting junkies to agree on this. Turning to her left, she smiled at Hinata, who'd remained quiet all this time. "What do you think, Hinata-chan?"

The shy girl blushed as the spotlight was cast on her, prompting her to poke her index fingers together. "Err...I..." she stumbled over the words. "I...think the Jonin-sensei w-will t-tell us when we're r-ready..."

"Aw, man! You too, Hinata-chan?" Naruto complained.

The shy girl blushed even harder, suddenly stammering out apologies no one heard as Naruto got to his feet, turned to Kiba, and melodramatically wailed, "Kiba! We're being outnumbered! What shall we do?!"

Understanding where the blonde was going with this, Kiba jumped to his feet (causing Akamaru to yip in protest as he was suddenly launched out of his master's lap) and melodramatically put a hand to his forehead in a sign of faint-headedness. "I feel faint amongst all this negativity! Naruto! Hold me!"

The two boys then proceeded to give each other a wailing, commiserating hug for all of two seconds before bursting out laughing, the other Genin chuckling at their antics or just rolling their eyes (or blushing, in the case of Hinata).

"Morons," Sasuke commented idly as he finished up his ramen.

That reminded Naruto. "Oh yeah, what do _you_ think about this, jerk?" he asked Sasuke.

"Oh come on, I'm sure Sasuke agrees it's far too dangerous to..." Sakura had begun defending Sasuke, only to see the Uchiha slowly turn his head to avoid eye contact. "...Sasuke?"

There was a moment of silence as Sasuke refused to make eye contact, after which Kiba and Naruto burst out laughing. "He's one of us!" they chanted as they made an impromptu dance around the surly boy.

"Knock it off, you idiots," Sasuke grouched.

"Oi!"

The Genin stopped as they heard someone calling out to them. Looking towards the field's entrance, they saw Asuma and Kakashi waving at them as they approached.

"Good to see you're all excitable, but lunch is over," Asuma told them with an easygoing smile. "Ready for afternoon practice?"

* * *

><p>Naruto returned home exhausted that evening. So much so that one look at him had Takeshi giving him the night off, saying he'd be worthless if he still tried to train.<p>

Of course, the pierced teen had then promised him twice the tortur—I mean, training for the next day, something Naruto was having trouble in deciding whether he was looking forward to it or dreading it.

Regardless, Naruto trudged back to his house (the fourth structure built), waving to relatives as he was greeted down the earthen road. It wasn't a particularly big house — certainly nothing like what the Hyuuga were alleged to have — but it was still bigger than the homes of the other shinobi of the Uzumaki clan, on account of his status as Clan Head-in-training.

At first, he hadn't wanted it, both because his humility rejected such an obvious show of superiority, and because living alone again would feel too much like he was back at the apartment on his own. After a few nights, however, he'd realized that the second part wasn't quite true, as he got to wake up in an area full of positive-minded clansmen who greeted him and, in the case of a certain pink-haired wonder and his cousins, crashed at his place often.

The humble part of him still disliked the fact that he owned a larger house than the rest of his family, but he'd grown to deal with those feelings after Keisuke informed him that such superficial differentiations were mainly for the benefit of outsiders; no one within the clan felt slighted by it.

Speaking of the venerable Elder, he'd begun hinting that the time was soon coming wherein he'd have to begin his Fūinjutsu lessons. At first, the very idea repelled Naruto, seeing as how he imagined it to be mainly sitting about and studying (and he was partly right), but after having Keisuke point out that both he and Maki had shown him the practical uses of sealing, Naruto had agreed, figuring it'd be, at the very least, an awesome way of catching Kiba and Sasuke off guard in one of their spars.

That wasn't going to happen until later, of course. Keisuke had made it abundantly clear that Fūinjutsu require discipline and restraint, and so it wouldn't be until Naruto showed either that his tutoring would begin.

Waving hello to one last clansman as he entered his house, he yelped in surprise as he saw someone waiting for him inside, clad in a kimono that hugged at all the right places.

Kimiko.

"Kimiko-nee!" Naruto greeted in surprise. "What gives? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Kimiko frowned. "I've been observing you and your friends, Naruto-sama," she informed him with a disappointed look. "You have made little progress over these past few weeks."

Naruto goggled at her. Little progress? Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai were all quite congratulatory towards the Genin's efforts!

"_What?_" he asked, certain he'd misheard.

With a flash, however, he was soon on the ground, a blade placed to his neck. Looking up, he saw Kimiko's face inches away from his own, a fierce glare boring into him. "You're still weak," she informed him, her free arm pressing down onto his chest and the glare in her eyes fierce, obviously struggling to keep her anger in check. "You should be stronger than your comrades, Naruto-sama, not their equal! And to let that _Uchiha_ best you...!"

Naruto glared right back, despite the imminent danger he was in. "Hey! He's got a name, Kimiko!" he protested, disliking the fact that Kimiko had referred to Sasuke with such bitterness. "And we're doing just fine!"

Her glare, if anything, intensified. "How could you become _Clan Head_, when you can't even protect yourself from an _intruder_?" she demanded. "In your own _home_?"

Okay, so she had a point there, but what was he supposed to do — outperform _her_ by age 13? That was laughable in itself! She was perhaps the fourth most powerful person in the Clan. How the hell was he supposed to match that as he was?!

"That's why I've got you guys," Naruto said with a smirk, raising a hand to poke her just beneath her collarbone, surprising her. "I know I'm weak. You think I like that?" he asked her rhetorically. "But I can't become strong in one day. Takeshi taught me that. Hikari-nee taught me that. Ojii-chan taught me that. Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai taught me that. I'm going to be weak for a while, Kimiko," he told her, his smirk turning into a friendly smile. "So how about you guard my back till I'm strong enough?"

Kimiko blinked at him for his proposal before glaring again. "If that is your wish, Naruto-sama," she agreed curtly, drawing back her blade and, in a flash of light, it was gone from her hand. Slowly, she got back to her feet — for which Naruto was thankful for, as the way she'd held him down had given him an ample look at her considerable bust (and _really_ didn't want to even _accidentally _ogle his own _cousin_) — and reluctantly offered him a hand.

Which he didn't take, as he flipped himself back onto his feet, grinning at her. "It's not my wish as Clan Head, Kimiko," he told her as he passed by her. "It's my wish from one clansman to another. We're family, y'know?" he told her as he lightly bopped her on the shoulder, giving her a wave as he went for his room. "G'night, Kimiko-nee!"

Kimiko stood there in the hallway, the expression on her face quite incredible as she fought an internal battle due to Naruto's words. To her, it was inconceivable that the future Clan Head would act so nonchalantly regarding his own weakness, or that he would rely on others for his protection. Where was his pride as an Uzumaki? Where was his pride as a warrior?!

But...the way he'd smiled at her, and told her he wanted her protection, not as Clan Head, but as family, had made her feel a small warmth in her chest. It was not unfamiliar as much as it was...nostalgic. Like an old, loved friend had come back to pay a visit.

Just as quickly as those feelings came to the front, however, she quickly crushed them as a glare fixed itself back onto her face. Naruto was wrong. He had to get stronger quickly so as to become a proper Clan Head for the Uzumaki. The other cells in hiding would never allow for a weakling as Clan Head, and she would not have him shame the Uzumaki by being one.

Regardless, he'd given her an order — and she _always_ followed orders. She would guard him until such a time where he could defend himself properly.

But first...

Kimiko looked around, realizing for the first time that she knew very little about the Clan Head's house, given that she'd merely waited for him in the entrance hall. From the sound of things, Naruto's room was near the back, meaning that a good protector would be nearby. Maybe the roof?

Kimiko sighed.

Well, might as well find a good place to crash.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Training Field 40, Three days later...<em>**

True to her word, Kimiko became something of a shadow for Naruto. A rather conspicuous one, too, given the fact that between her looks and her intimidating yoroi armor, she was nearly impossible to hide.

Not that she couldn't — Naruto knew first-hand that however garrish the Uzumaki might appear, they could hide as well as Jonin if they put their minds to it.

Still, it made for an interesting sight when the group found Kiba staring at her for prolonged periods of time with a blush — not that the older girl paid him any attention. The teasing that followed usually had the dog user blushing like mad for quite some time.

To everyone's surprise, even Asuma and Kurenai, Kakashi didn't object to her presence. While everyone generally assumed this was so he, too, could ogle the very pretty Uzumaki girl, the reality was that Kakashi was interested in at least seeing the reputed fourth most powerful member of the Uzumaki Clan.

Meanwhile, Asuma resumed his teaching after settling the Genin, who had taken the opportunity to poke fun at Kiba after having caught him peeking at Kimiko once again.

"Where were we?" Asuma mused aloud. "Oh, right. We've gone over chakra theory and a bit of practice now, so let's go to tactics. What are the three most vital points to remember when developing battle tactics?"

As usual, Sakura's hand was first in the air. Then again, everyone in the group knew this by heart now, seeing as how it was a question he repeated every lesson.

"Yes, Sakura."

"If possible, remain out of sight. If not, avoid damage to yourself. If you can't, always have a way to retreat," she recited his version of it by heart.

Asuma nodded. "That's right," he confirmed. "Gold star, Haruno," he told her with a smile — eliciting a pleased blush — before motioning to Shikamaru. "Shikamaru; why are these three points vital to any strategy?"

"A live shinobi is more useful than a dead one," Shikamaru answered lazily, still staring up at the sky.

"That's right," Asuma confirmed again. "Always remember that, kids. It's all nice and heroic when you hear about shinobi sacrificing themselves, but in reality the people you work with will want you alive more than dead, so always keep that in mind when making up strategy," he told them.

"What if casualties are impossible to prevent?" Sasuke asked calmly with a frown.

Asuma pondered that one for a moment as he took a drag from his cigarette, enjoying the pleasant breeze in the wooded area of the field. "Then you plan to bring that number down as much as possible," he told the Uchiha survivor. "Not gonna lie to you kids; this isn't an easy job to have, and odds are you'll see plenty of people die if you live long enough."

Sasuke excepted, of course, since he'd already seen enough people die for a lifetime.

"And of course, you'll all remember the mantra we taught you, right?" he asked.

"Treat all enemy shinobi as though they were S-Rank," the group recited dutifully. Honestly, sometimes these sessions seemed more like a kid's class at Pre-Academy than Genin training.

"Exactly," Asuma confirmed with a nod. "The reason for that, as I've already explained, is quite simple — never underestimate your opponent. If he looks weak, he might be faking it. If he looks strong, he might really be a coward. This is not, however, a license for cowardice in the face of the unknown, but rather a piece of advice to be cautious and wise at all given moments."

"You may know you're arbitrarily stronger than your opponent; you can even know his weaknesses, but a good shinobi will still defeat the enemy quickly because it is his duty, not to prove a point," he instructed them.

Then, with a tiger seal, he said, "_Kai_!" and instantly several poofs resounded as small, scaled models of different scenarios appeared around him. "Split up into teams of three; the initial make-up will be up to you," he informed them. "And take a model scenario for your team. You will find a note underneath detailing the enemy you would face in such a scenario, and are to create an appropriate strategy to fulfill the victory conditions detailed within the note, or simply avoid the defeat conditions. Every ten minutes, or earlier if everyone's done, we'll review what you've come up with and then split up in different teams for another round, this one random."

It was another usual exercise, and so there was little hesitation as the groups formed up.

Naruto quickly went for Shikamaru, who avoided him like the plague and instead latched onto Choji, who got picked by Sakura (the two having formed a rapport following their initial team beatdown by Shino and Sasuke). Faced with the lack of the brilliant strategist (Shikamaru's teams nearly always got top marks), Naruto picked Ino, who seemed a little miffed at being second-choice and at having missed her opportunity to team up with Sasuke, who picked Shino and Kiba. Faced with being the last picked, Hinata shyly approached Ino and Naruto, who welcomed her with a smile.

"Let's do our best, guys!" Naruto whooped confidently.

A little saddened at being left last, Hinata nonetheless nodded shyly, while Ino grinned. "Yeah!"

* * *

><p>Kimiko was not pleased with what she saw.<p>

While she conceded that Naruto was being affable towards his comrades, she still couldn't understand why he associated with the weaker members of his group. Certainly the blonde girl had some skill, but the dark-haired one was critically lacking in self-confidence and impetus. More importantly, why wasn't Naruto protesting these arrangements?

Leaning against a nearby tree, she watched patiently as Naruto and his team worked at their model, confounding her. Why were they studying using models? Why not simulate the battle itself with higher ranking shinobi? How would Naruto get stronger from playing with toys?!

"You seem frustrated," to her credit, Kimiko didn't flinch as the one called Kakashi appeared on a branch above her. "Wanna talk about it?" he asked half-assed.

Kimiko glared up at him. "No," well that was a lie. To be honest, she would've loved to chew him out about his inadequacies as a teacher, but Keisuke had forbidden all Uzumaki from doing any such thing, urging them all to understand that Konoha had its own way of doing things.

"That's a lie," he noted lazily as he watched the Genin work on their models. "Your clan thinks I'm wasting the kids' time, don't they?" he asked perceptively. Whatever his faults may be, Kakashi was nothing if not sharp.

"Are you?" Kimiko asked acidly.

"Can't say I understand the way Uzushio did things, or how you do things, but Konoha's not about throwing kids to the wild and learning on instinct," Kakashi noted. "Your Clan may be stronger for it individually, but you still felt weak enough to hide from the world."

"We were hunted by three of the major villages," Kimiko pointed out through gritted teeth as her temper began to flare. How _dare_ this man speak so diffidently of her Clan's suffering?!

"Yet you never joined any of the two remaining ones," Kakashi noted casually, stopping her dead in her tracks. "I'll be blunt; I don't like the fact that you've messed with some pretty deeply rooted traditions here. I grew up in the old system and I liked it, but I'm a shinobi of Konoha first and foremost, so if the Sandaime says jump, I jump."

"How obedient of you," Kimiko snarked. "Just like a good dog."

"A jumping dog reaches the throat of an unkind master much more easily," Kakashi said simply, again leaving her without a response. "Like I was saying, however, I'm a loyal man of Konoha, so if the Sandaime wants me to work with your Genin Pool and the new Academy exam, that's fine," he told her. "Just remember that this is Konoha, not Uzushio."

Kimiko refused to answer, and he promptly disappeared in a whirl of leaves.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Two days later...<em>**

Naruto was stretching out, yawning, as the Genin met up for Taijutsu practice once again. All nine had been woken up at nearly the crack of dawn to help out with construction at the Uzumaki estate, which had been a pleasant surprise for the budding Clan Head when it was announced the previous day.

Apparently, having noted that there was still so much work to do, the Sandaime had proposed using the Genin Pool's initiates as labor via D-Rank mission. A little abashed at the fact that they'd been caught lagging behind on their construction time-table (and including the protests of the Hyuuga, who wanted the noise to stop), Keisuke and Heiyako had agreed to the plan.

The result was that all eight of his comrades were finally able to see the vaunted grounds of the Uzumaki Clan, and their reactions were, to Naruto, quite priceless.

Kiba, for the most part, had goggled at the girls, while Ino and Sakura beat him to a pulp for being such an overt pervert. Choji had to be dragged back to work several times after catching the delicious smell coming from some of the small eateries in the compound, while Ino and Sakura found commiserating souls amongst the Uzumaki teenage girls, who all had to deal with roughhousing, battle-happy idiots. Even Shino and Shikamaru found the compound interesting in their own way.

The one exception was Sasuke.

Not because Sasuke didn't like the compound. Rather, it seemed the moment he'd stepped into the area, every Uzumaki was wary of him, save for Naruto. While Naruto himself knew exactly why, he was loathe to admit it, and preferred to just ignore the ill will he was feeling from his clansmen towards Sasuke.

Even after they were done, Naruto had refused to speak of it, though everyone was well aware that Sasuke had been treated like a pariah while in the compound.

Hopefully, however, Sasuke wouldn't dwell on it.

"Man, I hope Kakashi mixes it up today!" Kiba mused aloud as he stretched out. "It's getting boring just sparring in teams or singles!"

A series of tired grunts answered him as the others tiredly stretched for the upcoming training. Well, at least they could count on Kakashi being thirty minutes late, so there was some resting time available before the torture-fest began anew.

Little did they know that Kakashi would've really made them wait hours, but Kurenai had put her foot down and made him come relatively on time.

"Hey, Naruto, where's that hot cousin of yours? Ain't she gonna watch like always?" Kiba asked as he noted the distinct absence of Kimiko in the vicinity. He was summarily pummeled by Ino and Sakura, and discreetly frowned at by Hinata.

"Nah, she's got a meeting with the old guys," Naruto answered without much concern for Kiba's cries of help. "Must be a mission or something she has to go on," he guessed, given that he'd already seen Keisuke and Heiyako assign various missions to Hiroki and others under similar circumstances.

"Mission, huh..." Choji wondered aloud. "Wonder if we'll have to work again at your place tomorrow, Naruto."

Said blond shrugged. "Probably," he admitted. "The compound's nowhere near finished, and with Uncle Hiroki and a bunch of others on missions, it's going slow."

Any further talking was subsequently ended by the familiar poofing sound of Kakashi making his entrance. To everyone's surprise, he was actually _on time_.

And he wasn't alone.

"Good morning, kiddies!" Kakashi greeted them with a lazy wave and a disinterested stare that completely went against his cheerful greeting. To either side were Asuma and Kurenai, who smiled down at their charges.

"Asuma-sensei? Kurenai-sensei?" Ino questioned. "How come you're here so early?"

Kakashi ignored the fact that he was being ignored and gave an ocular smile. "We have great news!" he announced. "You're all getting the rest of the day off!"

There was a beat as the Genin processed this information in their tired brains before they broke out into spontaneous cheering (well, Kiba, Naruto, Choji, Ino, and Sakura did, anyway).

"And you're all getting a C-rank mission tomorrow," he then added, grinning internally as he watched the Genin freeze.

"C...rank?" Naruto parroted, looking at the three Jonin like they were about to announce they were just kidding.

"Well, three C-rank missions, but yes," Kakashi confirmed. "Low-level ones, of course, but it'll register as C-rank on your dossiers."

He was completely ignored, however, as the Genin broke out into hurried mumblings amongst themselves, excitement permeating the faces of those of their number who were more open about their emotional state.

After a while, however, Kakashi scratched his head while Kurenai giggled into her hand and Asuma coughed to cover up his chuckling. "Ma...don't you guys want to know the details?"

He instantly had their attention again.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Meanwhile, at the Legion of Do—I mean, Uzumaki Compound...<em>**

"Do you understand, Kimiko?" Keisuke asked gravely. "We were offered a great boon by being notified by the Hokage ahead of time, and you should consider yourself lucky that we decided to inform you," he noted as he watched Kimiko practically tremble before him as she knelt, having received her instructions.

"I...don't know what to say, Keisuke-choro," Kimiko finally managed to get out. "This is...incredible. And Naruto-sama is definitely going to be assigned to that missions?"

"Hiruzen believes so," Heiyako confirmed. "Whatever our feelings about the Jonin trainers, they seem to hold Naruto's development in high regard; thus, he will likely be assigned to the more potentially perilous of the missions."

"Does he...know?" Kimiko asked. "Does the rest of the Clan...know?"

"No, and they shall not until Naruto returns," Keisuke ordered her strictly. "There will be enough commotion from the mere fact that our last potential Clan Head is headed off on a mission that _might_ be dangerous. We don't need to add this to the fire."

"But it's—!" Kimiko snapped up her head to protest, but was quickly silenced by Keisuke's ki flaring.

"Enough, Kimiko!" Keisuke reproached her. "I understand your opinion of the world and the way it works and I've respected it so far!" he reminded her. "But do not forget that until Naruto is Clan Head, we have final say. You will _not_ let anyone else know what we just told you."

"Y-Yes...Keisuke-choro," she finally agreed, slumping in defeat. "I understand."

"And you promise?"

"I swear," she conceded. "I swear I will not divulge what you've told me to anyone, not even Naruto-sama or the rest of the Clan, before you do."

Heiyako took pity on the girl. "We're sorry to place such a heavy burden on you, Kimiko, but you are the one tasked with Naru-chan's safety, and we believed you would need to know all the details to protect him while he's away."

"The Jonin might object to my presence," Kimiko pointed out. "That man of the Hatake clan all but told me not to meddle," she recalled.

"Kakashi-san is merely cautious of the rapid changes we have wrought on Konoha, as all wise men would," Keisuke pointed out. "Do not make his caution into something personal, Kimiko."

"Understood, Keisuke-choro."

"Furthermore," Heiyako continued, "we have already garnered the authorization of the Hokage to send you and one more along with whichever team Naru-chan is in. If his assigned Jonin has an objection, he must file it with the Hokage."

"Understood, Heiyako-choro," Kimiko said with a nod.

"Go, then." Keisuke dismissed her. "They won't be leaving until tomorrow two hours past daybreak; you have until then to get ready."

"Yes, Choro-sama!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>The next day...<em>**

"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!" Naruto hissed to himself as he ran for the eastern gate. He'd totally overslept that morning after the kickass party the Clan had thrown him once it was announced he was going on a C-Rank mission for the first time.

Then again, the Uzumaki seemed to throw a kickass party for almost anything. He could still remember the party they threw because one clansman had recovered after spraining his ankle!

Anyway, at least the streets were relatively empty as people began waking up (active duty shinobi were up since daybreak, mostly), allowing him to sprint relatively obstruction-free towards the gate. Along the way, he noticed a few people glaring at him, but most seemed to regard him with indifference now. Was it because of the clan?

Well, he didn't exactly have time to ponder that, as he was still quite freaking late for the mission!

Breaking into a dead sprint as he saw the gate up ahead, he saw the others in his team waiting for him, alongside a towering old man in a straw hat and working clothes and waved at them, shouting "OI! I'm here!"

Smiling to himself, he saw Hinata and Kiba wave back, while Kakashi merely looked up at him, then back down at his book. When the team had been decided the previous day, Kakashi had explained that they'd been divided into the most effective teams they could. The reasoning behind his team had been that while Kiba and he were heavy hitters, Hinata's superior tactical sense — compared to Kiba and Naruto, anyway — her ability to use the Byakugan, and good-enough Taijutsu skills would allow her to scout out and coordinate a solid defense in the event of bandits. Considering the other jobs had been a simple capture and interrogation of a minor bandit and wildlife hunting, her bloodline was considered overkill and better suited to bodyguard duty. Sasuke had been considered for this mission, but given that Naruto was best suited for this mission with his ability to spawn nigh-unlimited reinforcements and the fact that another team needed a leader-like person in charge, he was placed in charge of the Capture and Interrogation mission.

The client, Tazuna, however, did not look very impressed with his escort.

As he got close, he tried to slow down, but found himself tripping. The result was he was about to get a face full of dirt before he was suddenly jerked back up onto his feet. Looking up, he saw that Kakashi was unpleasantly surprised, Hinata had brought up her hands to hide her shock, and Kiba and Tazuna were practically drooling.

That could mean one thing, especially given her actions at last night's party.

"Easy there, brat," Hikari told him with a grin as someone _else_ put him down. "Too early in the mission to get injured like that."

"A Clan Head must be dignified, Naruto-sama," Kimiko concurred as she put him down. Both were wearing surprisingly casual clothing — and Hikari was even missing her giant scroll!

"Kimiko? Hikari-nee?" he squawked as he took a few steps back in surprise. "What the hell are you two doing here?" he asked.

Hikari bopped him on the head playfully. "You didn't think we'd just let our Clan Head out of our sight that easy, did ya?" she asked.

Kimiko merely bowed her head slightly in greeting to the others. "We are your escort, Naruto-sama."

Kakashi sighed. He'd had a feeling. And if they were here, that meant the Hokage probably knew.

So much for a peaceful trip.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Post-AN<strong>:_ _So here we are. The end of the Lost Clan Arc. Next up, Wave! How will having the fourth most powerful Uzumaki clansman and one of the rising stars of the Uzumaki Clan's summoner division change things? Hell, how will having Kiba and Hinata around change things? Will Haku and Zabuza live or die? Are you all seriously expecting me to answer this right now? :D _

_I'll be trying to post the next chapter ASAP; shouldn't be much of a problem, since the Emperor time skip and working with different languages may stall me in that respect._

_Cheers,_

_Marquis Black_

**_Note: This chapter has been revised as of December 16, 2013._**


	12. Wave Arc: The Road To Wave

_**AN:** HOLYSHITITSALIVE!_

_Yeah. This happened. LoU is very much not dead. Just stuck. Unbelievably stuck. Or it was, anyway, until I got my new job as a news writer for a TV station, and now I'm swamped with work. Catch 22 and whatnot._

_In any case, I'd like to point out that I'm not happy with this chapter, but keeping you all waiting for much longer would be...well...crueler and unusual-er punishment. In any case, getting this chapter out of the way ought to let me get to the parts I actually want to write now! Yay!_

_So yeah, happy reading!_

_MB_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Previously, on Legacy of<strong>** Uzushiogakure...**_

_The Uzumaki Clan isn't as dead as everyone thinks! A chance encounter between a rule-breaking member of the Uzumaki Clan and Naruto led to the reunion of two quarters of the Clan and its move into Konoha. Unfortunately, the transition isn't as easy as expected, as the newcomers face a great amount of mistrust from resident Clans and cynics, who view the Uzumaki as potential threats, or just interlopers - a feeling exacerbated by the Uzumaki's influence in changing the Academy Exam and the introduction of the Genin Pool. However, the Uzumaki isn't as happy and monolithic as their detractors think, as Naruto discovers that many within his clan have held onto their rage from the days when they were a hunted family. To start remedying this, he has made a bet with Hikari, his first link to the Uzumaki, to break through the Uzumaki Clan's feared enforcer, Kimiko's, cold exterior and bring out the happy girl she'd once been. Complicating this, however, is the announcement that the Genin would be facing their first C Rank missions, and Naruto has been assigned to escort bridge builder Tazuna to the nation of Wave, along with his team of Hinata and Kiba, plus Kakashi. Complicating things further, he has been assigned two bodyguards, Kimiko, and Hikari. What awaits this eclectic team on the road to Wave...?_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 1, Night...<strong>_

"Oh for crying out loud! What is it _now?_"

In Kakashi's defence, he _had_ been afraid of this — for the seventh time since they'd begun on their journey, Kimiko had made it a point to single out each and every minute detail she found issue with in his handling of the Genin. He swore, if it wasn't for the fact that she was both hot and an ally, he'd have Chidori'd her on the spot!

Already, Kimiko had attacked their wardrobe — okay, so maybe she had a point on that one — due to the fact that, as she pointed out, the more obvious Tazuna's escort, the more valuable he'd seem to bandits. _Then_ she'd pointed out that an overland trip was ridiculously convoluted, as there were more than a few shipping lanes that would get them to Wave in half the time — for some strange reason, Tazuna had been adamantly opposed to that option, despite his obvious haste in wanting to finish building his "super bridge," as he called it.

Then there was his choice of reading material — okay, so maybe he got that particular critique every time he read Icha Icha near women — and his lackadaisical attitude towards the Genin's training, since they only got a few exercises in every day.

There were a few more, naturally, but these were the ones that grated on his nerves the most, and now, despite having forced his team to change clothes to something more inconspicuous - including having his beloved mask hidden behind a scraggly scarf - despite having changed their route to a more direct one, despite pressing on his Genin a bit more every day in training, she was _again_ going to criticize something!

Kimiko frowned as she held out a bowl to him, sitting next to him around the campfire for the night. "Your meal, Hatake-san," she stated in a clipped tone, obviously offended by his outburst.

Kakashi stared at her for a moment, his hands frozen in the act of wild gesticulation as the wind in his anger was suddenly gone.

"Oh," he said simply, concealing his embarrassment easily as he took the proffered bowl. "Thanks."

"Hmm," she grunted noncommittally before offering the quiet Hinata a bowl of stew as well, which the shy girl gratefully took with a whispered thank you.

Across the fire, Kakashi saw Tazuna and Hikari having a blast as they swapped stories regarding their experiences with public intoxication.

"I swear I'm telling the truth!" the old man said. "So me and Nobu, we're, y'know, still trying to figure out how we ended up in the middle of the temple grounds, him in a towel and me with just my pants on, when the lass' old man barges in, super pissed off like no other, swearing to neuter us with his butcher's axe!" he recounted in between laughs. "Oh man, you should've seen his face! Bright red, like a tomato!"

Kiba stared at Tazuna in awe, as did Naruto. "So what happened next?"

"Oh, well, the temple's head monk, this old, senile guy, ends up thinking they're under attack or some crap like that, so he attacks the girl's dad while we made a run for it. Anyway, mid-escape we sort-of run into the village chief — one of those super pompous, fat bastard types, y'know? — just as the butcher nearly catches us, and end up running him over and smashing his family jewels by accident." Tazuna reminisced with a grin. "And that's pretty much how I got banned from Yugakure."

"All this over a girl?!" Naruto asked, starry-eyed as Tazuna recounted his mischievous younger days. To Tazuna's other side, Hikari was struggling to keep herself upright as she howled with laughter.

Tazuna grinned as he took a swig from his bottle. "Best stories usually are, boyo," he told Naruto with a smirk. "You'll find out when you grow up."

Both Kiba and Naruto stared at him incredulously, causing Hikari and Tazuna to laugh even harder.

Back on the other side of the campfire, Kakashi and Kimiko sat in tense silence as they observed the others in their group interact. Kakashi, for his part, was glad to see the tension amongst _most_ of his group to have vanished after the first few hours of tense silence, but found Tazuna an odd duck. Despite his current boisterous, happy-go-lucky self, he'd been moody, tense, and obstinate when they'd first set out. Getting him to change his route, however minutely, had been a chore and a half, until Hikari had pulled him aside and spoken quietly with him. When they'd come back, Tazuna had been much more pliable, making Kakashi worry that Hikari had somehow put a seal on him or used Genjutsu, but a quick release technique, out of sight and hearing of everyone, quickly disproved that theory.

"He's hiding something."

Kakashi wasn't surprised at all that Kimiko had caught onto that fact. From what he knew of her, she was one of the Uzumaki's most experienced members, despite her age, which while it still paled in comparison to his own battlefield experience, meant she was well versed, at least, in picking up on tells.

"Hmm," he grunted noncommittally. "Unless it's a security risk, not our problem."

Kimiko frowned — apparently her default state of being, from what Kakashi could see. "How do you know it's not? You're being surprisingly frivolous regarding your client's lies, Hatake-san."

Kakashi shrugged as he contemplated the bowl of stew in his hands. "For all I know, he wants to hide the fact that he owes some people money in one of the ports we mentioned, or some girl he forgot to write to and wants to avoid," he noted reasonably as he stirred the hot stew. "And I can't just accuse him of hiding something without proof, and we already took the job. It'd make Konoha, and more importantly, all of us look bad if it ends up being an empty gesture."

Kimiko grunted and looked away for a moment, not wanting to snap at the lazy jounin. When she turned back, her temper under tenuous rein, her eyes widened a bit as she noted that his bowl was now empty and he was just finishing tugging his mask back into place. How had he done that?! She hadn't even taken five seconds!

"Trade secret," he preempted her with a smile and a thumbs-up. Kimiko gaped for a moment before glaring at him and turning away. Still, she wasn't quite willing to drop the issue.

"I still say we should question him," she insisted stubbornly.

"And I'll remind you that you're here to watch Naruto," Kakashi rebutted mildly. "You're not an actual member of this team, nor do you outrank me. Therefore, we're leaving the client alone and that's final."

He then suddenly had a hand on her lap, just as her fists began to curl and tighten. "And unless you want to cause a very _public_ scene in front of your future Clan head and kinsman, as well as three other witnesses, I'd keep that temper in check," he added in the same mild tone, smiling at Hinata when the heiress glanced towards them. She blushed upon making eye contact and quickly returned her attention to the amusing stories Tazuna and Hikari were exchanging.

Kimiko's teeth were grating against each other as she realized he had her in checkmate at this point. Still, she had a point to make. "Fine, Hatake," she conceded. "But mark my words, if anything happens to the _Tōshu Koho_..."

"If I let anything happen to Naruto on my watch, I'll take my own life before you even get your weapon out," Kakashi told her grimly, without an inch of doubt.

That firmness surprised her, as she'd expected him to assure her that nothing would happen. In fact, she couldn't really reconcile his layabout personality with his words, so she frowned as she pondered the odds of him being coy with her. Was he fibbing, or was he really being honest?

Laughter from across their camp fire drew her attention to her clansmen and the others in this misfit group — she couldn't believe how easy they were taking this mission, compared to her own professionalism. Heck, the only traps around the campsite were those Kakashi and she had set up, independently of each other!

She frowned as Naruto and Kiba tried to wrestle each other following an argument over who'd won more matches between themselves, much to the amusement of Hikari, who cheered Naruto on, the embarassment of Hinata (who seemed torn between watching and wanting to separate the two), and what seemed like melancholy from Tazuna. Why couldn't they act more like the shinobi they were rather than as a bunch of kids?!

Making to stand up, ready to discipline the two, she was suddenly stopped by Kakashi's hand on her back. "Leave it," he advised. "You were right before, about our clothes. The more obvious it is that we're ninja, the more valuable a target Tazuna becomes. If anyone stumbles upon us right now, all they'd see is a family having dinner and messing around, not a group of ninjas and their client."

Her frown deepened. "This is unbecoming of shinobi, though!" she snapped at him in a hissed tone.

"Perfect. Then no one should be paying attention to us," Kakashi said with a smile that didn't quite seem to reach his eye.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 2, Afternoon...<strong>_

Despite Tazuna's anxious protests, the group took a break the next day, having decided that if they were going to keep their civilian covers intact, they had to make it look the part. And with three kids around, no one was going to believe the group could march their way to Wave without frequently stopping.

They even went through the motions of setting up a decent campsite again, with Kakashi ostensibly going off for firewood — while, in reality, he was scouting the perimeter for bandits or worse — Hikari and Hinata laying out the packaged food they were planning to cook — with Hinata discreetly using bursts of Byakugan to scout the immediate vicinity — Kiba and Naruto horsing around near Tazuna — in reality, keeping a close eye on him, in case they got surprise attacked — and Kimiko gathering stones to put around the campfire — all the while thinking of the innumerable ways she could skewer Kakashi, no doubt.

Of course, setting up such an obvious campsite was anathema to the shinobi, and while they were each well trained to dissimulate their discomfort, there were still signs to be observed, if one looked hard enough. Kakashi was _too_ casual in his picking up firewood; Naruto and Kiba were too tense even as they 'played'; Hinata's smile was strained at times, even though Hikari was doing a good job of keeping her relaxed with amusing stories; and Kimiko was always scowling intermittently, her eyes darting to and fro whenever the slightest sound resounded.

Tazuna might not have been shinobi, but he'd been around people too afraid to speak up as to have learned some body reading.

"You guys seem a little super tense," Tazuna noted as he took a swig of his booze bottle while they sat and ate.

Kakashi chuckled as he watched his team, client, and unwanted extras go at their meal, his own already lying finished next to him. "That obvious were we?"

"Probably not, but I've...been around enough people to know a tell when I see one," he answered noncommittally.

"Sorry, sorry," Kakashi apologized. "It's just that we're not used to going it this slow."

"We are!" Hikari intervened brightly with a smile and a raised fist.

"My point exactly," Kakashi noted dryly as Tazuna eyed the cute redhead in confusion. "You've been trained in this sort of dissimulation, but it's never been a big part of our curriculum."

Kimiko snorted, while Hikari ignored her, smiling brightly as she rubbed the back of her head. "You're missing out, then!" she said. "Camping out civvie style used to be one of my favorite exercises ever!"

"Why's that?" Kiba asked through a mouthful, earning himself a reproachful glance from Hinata, just before she blushed furiously and returned her attention back to her own food shyly. To be fair to the Inuzuka heir, however, camping out was one of the most basic and dull exercises in Konoha, albeit they did it with basic ninja gear.

Something changed in Hikari's bright expression, then, as her smile became more melancholic, her hands cradling the bowl of stew on her lap. "'Cause when we did it, we could pretend we weren't being hunted," she said softly. "We were just kids, camping it out with friends."

An awkward silence descended on the group then, as Hikari's reminiscing reminded them of the Uzumaki's rather tragic past. It was just as quickly blown away, however, when the pigtailed girl grinned suddenly and rubbed her fist on Naruto's head. "'Course, now I can do it all the time without worrying so much!" she reminded the group, even as she ignored Naruto's indignant yelling as she noogied him.

Tazuna chuckled despite himself as he watched the two fool around. To his mind's eye, you could've mistaken the two for siblings, though he supposed the fact that they were cousins was close enough. Thinking back on his own circumstances, the old bridge builder couldn't help but sigh as he wondered when he'd last seen such youthful vigor before him. His hometown was nowhere near like that anymore, not since...

He shook his head, refusing to ponder any further on the matter, lest he give himself away. While he hated lying to these children and their handlers, he'd _had_ to. He was desperate, and any ninja was better than none in this particular situation. Even if that meant having these children around.

Eyeing the older shinobi, he tried to convince himself that maybe things wouldn't be so bad, seeing as he was sure the older three wouldn't ever let anything happen to their wards.

* * *

><p><strong>Day 7, Evening...<strong>

They'd reached a village this time around, and despite the occasional gloom caused by Tazuna's secretive apprehension or Hikari's reminiscing, the group managed to reach their next leg of the journey in relatively high spirits.

Which, if one were totally honest, wasn't that hard when Naruto was around, given that practically nothing on this planet seemed to keep him down for longer than a few minutes. Well, other than Kimiko's stern warnings to act as befitting his exalted station.

Even then, though, he was usually back to his exuberant self in seconds.

Finding an inn wasn't much of an issue, thankfully, though Tazuna questioned the wisdom of staying the night in the village. Kakashi, for once, actually agreed with Kimiko that _not_ staying in the village would probably arouse more suspicion and attention than if they just rested at the inn for the night. Especially when there were children in the group.

Might've confused the adults for slavers, or something.

In any case, splitting the rooms was pretty simple. The guys in one room, the girls in the other. Between Kimiko, Hikari, and Hinata, Kakashi had little worries that anyone with any sort of dastardly designs on them would end up six feet under, if only because the first two were, as far as he knew, considered powerful enough to be the Clan Leader's escort.

If anything, he was more worried about _his_ room's charges. Naruto and Kiba might've improved tons since he'd first met them, but they were still just Genin. Zero field combat experience — Mizuki incident aside — and a limited array of techniques. Worse still, Tazuna was just a cranky old man with a booze habit and a decent talent at carpentry. If a fight broke out with any sort of opponent tougher than a low-level Chunin, Kakashi was pretty much on his own, and he knew it.

He watched as Kiba and Naruto wrestled in amidst their futons playfully, apparently trying to figure out who was "the best" between the two. Again. It was a never-ending contest, but Kakashi had seen and heard the two interact long enough to know there was no real bite in their rivalry — nothing like what he sometimes saw in Sasuke's interactions with either of them.

"I'll be back in a sec," he told Tazuna as he got up from his futon, tightened the obi around his yukata — no inn patron would actually remain in their travelling clothes unless they had no change of clothes, after all, and wearing his shinobi gear would just give away the whole team — and walked out of the room, sliding the door shut behind him. He had a few signalling traps he wanted to set up outside the inn, just in case.

But just as soon as he turned to walk down the hallway towards the front door, he was promptly met by Kimiko, whose own yukata seemed to struggle to adequately conceal the woman's considerable bust. Reigning in his inner pervert hard, he nodded at her in silent greeting and made to walk by her.

"We're being followed," she told him flatly, halting him just as he was about to pass by her. Kakashi sighed and stopped, turning his head to face hace her, a frown on what remained unconcealed of his face.

"You're sure?" he asked. He hadn't noticed anything concrete yet, though he'd had his suspicions. No trip, even one by a nondescript group like theirs, was as uneventful as theirs had been.

"Uzumaki are trained to notice tails since even before shinobi training," Kimiko answered simply, frowning right back at him. "I'm sure." she then amended reluctantly, looking away.

"Then I suppose it's a good thing I was going out to set up some signalling traps," he told her.

"Don't bother; Hikari already did," she informed him. "First thing we've done whenever we settle for the night," she added a bit smugly.

Kakashi frowned at her. He hadn't known about that, and had even, in fact, spent some considerable time setting up traps at each of their campsites to warn him of any possible intruders. And now she told him they'd pre-empted him each time? That he could've just sat back and read his damn book? Not cool.

"Bandits?" he asked, choosing to keep the peace and _not_ bring up his wasted time. She shook her head, to his inner dismay.

"Too inconspicuous," she said, crossing her arms under her chest. "Shinobi, at the very least."

"You or the client?" Kakashi followed up. It was a sobering question, but also a very understandable one. Now that two cells of the Uzumaki had publicly settled in Konoha after decades on the run, there was bound to be bounty hunters aiming to capture some of them and begrudged parties looking to settle some old scores.

Kimiko realized this, but it didn't help her spiked anger as she snapped her gaze back at Kakashi and glared at him with all her might. "Don't. Know." she said through hissed teeth. "It's not like they told me they were there!"

A fair point, altogether. Kakashi nodded in acquiescence and turned back towards his room. "Alright, then I'm headed back to the client. Keep an eye out for our pursuers tomorrow; if we can catch one of them, we might get answers as to _why_ we're being targeted."

Kimiko kept her silent glare on him for a moment before reluctantly nodding. "Fine," she conceded. "Good evening."

If Kakashi was surprised at the polite farewell, he didn't show it. Undoubtedly, Kimiko had been warned to play nice by her Clan Elders, and though she'd had a rough start that standing order was beginning to seep through.

Not that it seemed to save Naruto from her wrath, however, as she lost no opportunity to straighten him out whenever he acted outside her expectations.

Which was amusingly quite often.

Still, the one-eyed elite Jounin wondered on the Uzumaki once more. Undeniably, their arrival and settling in Konoha had certainly upped the village's military might, as well as given it not inconsiderable attention from less-than-savoury elements. But none of that really mattered to Kakashi. He was more concerned with their effects on the actual inhabitants.

The Nara Clan had taken to the Uzumaki very warily, which was altogether not really a surprise. With its clan head a literal genius that far outstripped his own genius son in towering intellect, and a healthy dose of caution to mix things up, it was well within expectations that the Nara had chosen to approach the newcomers with a fair degree of apprehension.

In fact, outside of the fun-loving and well-tempered Akimichi Clan, the Nara state of mind seemed to permeate every other family's attitude as well.

Not that it meant the Uzumaki were pariahs, of course. Despite the less-than-stellar treatment of their future Clan Head, the Uzumaki had done everything they could, short of giving away Clan secrets, to ingratiate themselves with their hosts. The members within each of Konoha's military divisions all brought new techniques and paradigms that helped them make their divisions more efficient — or less, in a rare case or two, usually regarding non-Fuinjutsu techniques.

But even with all the pros and cons weighed, Kakashi found himself simply unable to trust them as easily as the Sandaime had. They hadn't proved themselves loyal, and who was to say they wouldn't leave for better pastures elsewhere, if they felt slighted? Or worse, rebelled?

He shivered as he returned to the boys' room and settled in for the night. What if they turned out another Itachi? Or worse, more than one? Could the village really afford another such betrayal? Could it really just afford to trust anyone who looked like they had good intentions?

Sadly, as he regarded the sleeping form of Naruto, Kakashi didn't think so.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 8, Afternoon...<strong>_

Shinobi liked to say they were sneaky, and that a shinobi attack always came unannounced.

For the ambushers, however, such considerations were dead wrong.

Apparently having failed to look up a proper forecast, or just not paying attention to the way the weather had been for the past few days, they'd opted to simulate a river flooding at a particularly critical crossing, no doubt hoping to divert the Konoha team to a more beneficial ambush spot.

Yeah, that didn't work.

Instead, Hikari had happily skipped on to the edge of the flooded riverbank, the battered remains of the former bridge a sad testament to the water's power, and then proceeded to summon a long, thick set of wooden planks, then kicked them down, forming an impromptu bridge without any further hassle.

Kakashi, never having seen summoning used in this particular way, had asked about the ready availability of wooden planks, to which Hikari had just smiled and said, "How else do you think the Uzumaki manage to build so quickly?"

It made sense, in hindsight. Being rather nomadic in nature, it would make perfect sense for the Uzumaki Clan to have supplies prepared and readily available for summoning at a moment's notice, allowing them to basically evacuate quickly and rebuild elsewhere without much fuss or exposure.

Which was rather sad, in its own way, he supposed.

In any case, it meant that the team, plus their client, managed to not come across any ambush at that particular spot, though the incident did serve to pique Kimiko and Kakashi's warning instincts, and further prove to Kakashi that Kimiko and Hikari _hadn't_ been paranoid about being tailed.

"I don't think it's us," Kimiko told him flatly as she and he hanged back from the group as they continued their travel. "Hikari, Naruto-sama, and I, I mean. If this was a snatch job or assassination towards members of the Uzumaki Clan, they would've struck by now."

"Maybe they don't want to get caught?" offered Kakashi lazily as he continued reading his book. "They'd probably want to avoid going toe to toe with Konoha."

Kimiko frowned before grudgingly acceding to that. "Even so," she insisted, "it's more likely that our client is the target."

Kakashi eyed the old man for a moment before returning to his book. "He's not really the type of guy you send professional assassins after, though."

Kimiko's frown turned to a glare. "Then perhaps we should just ask our tails?" she snapped, quickly looking away after her raised tone caught the rest of the group's attention.

Hikari, in particular, had a knowing look as she glanced between the two. "Everything alright?"

Kakashi waved lazily while Kimiko kept quiet, very stubbornly keeping her eyes averted from the group. It didn't take long for the children to get bored and resume their journey, followed quickly by the old man, though Hikari lagged behind maybe a second before shrugging at them and following the group.

Left to themselves — in reality, no more than a few feet away from the group — Kakashi and Kimiko allowed themselves to look at each other.

"Not a bad idea," Kakashi conceded as he resumed his march, Kimiko keeping pace with him.

"What isn't?"

"Talking to our tails. I'm thinking...bait."

"You or me?" she asked.

"Both?"

Kimiko afforded a glance at the group in front of them. Her duty was to protect Naruto...could she really afford playing around like this? On the other hand, she _really_ wanted some answers — answers that _could_, theoretically, inform her of any untoward threats towards her charge in the long run.

Damn Kakashi and his plans.

"Fine."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 9, Afternoon...<strong>_

The opportunity to spring their trap didn't come until the next day, much to Kimiko's frustration and Kakashi's...ambivalence.

The pair of highly trained shinobi had been on the lookout for more inconsistencies in their surroundings — any hint whatsoever of enemy forces hiding out of sight — but had found nothing at all throughout the rest of the previous day. After turning in with a decidedly bad mood, Kimiko had insisted that she and Kakashi bring up the rear the next day, much to everyone's surprise.

Naruto, however, had taken the announcement in stride, figuring that Kimiko just wanted to keep an eye on the group from a better vantage point, as was her nature. While Kiba was just as glad to return to his heated debate with Naruto regarding whether ramen or barbecued meat was better, Hinata's eyes lingered worriedly on the two Jonin-level ninjas before slowly returning her attention to the road ahead, as was her mission.

Though that didn't stop her from occasionally glancing at Naruto.

Hikari, for all intents and purposes, didn't seem to care as she exchanged drinking stories with Tazuna, who seemed grateful for the distraction from whatever it was that was eating at him. While not a heavy drinker herself, Hikari _did_ know a few funny stories about her cousins, who were very prone to aggressive and idiotic behaviour while under the influence.

Suffice to say, Tazuna wondered how he'd be able to take her and her family seriously ever again.

For the two shinobi at the back of the group, however, their attentions were fixed on their surroundings. Thus far, they hadn't detected their pursuers trying their hand again at an ambush, which worried Kakashi and Kimiko equally, as they doubted that a group persistent enough to bring down a bridge would so easily give up after a single foiled attempt.

That moment came when the puddle came into view.

Kakashi and Kimiko both smelled trap instantly, and from the way Hikari had tensed up — a barely noticeable reflex — so had the younger Uzumaki clansman. Only the three Genin and Tazuna remained oblivious to the puddle's significance.

Only those four seemed to not realize that it hadn't rained in over a week.

Hikari chanced a glance backwards at her cousin as she passed the puddle, as though asking permission to spring whatever trap they had just walked into. A barely noticeable shake of her head from Kimiko stopped her, however, and she smoothly sidled up closer to Naruto, ready to protect the future Clan Head with her life, if need be.

Kimiko and Kakashi exchanged glances as they passed by the puddle. Were they sure about this? Could they really afford to gamble with the lives of their charges with this daring plan? Both were comfortably confident in their own abilities as warriors, but that only really applied to situations where they were soloing; as part of a group, could they really have the skills to protect everyone and still be effective?

Both were gambling on yes.

The two Jonin-level shinobi took one step, two...three steps past the puddle, and instantly felt the chakra flare behind them. They were ready.

A chain, riddled with razor-like talons all along its length, came into view, just as they finished moulding their chakra. They both allowed the chain to wrap itself around them, the talons biting superficially into their skin — which they made a good show of feeling hurt by — and just as the their attackers began to speak, readied the Substitution technique.

"Two down." someone hissed sibilantly.

The moment they felt the chain tug, they were gone.

* * *

><p>Naruto watched, horrified, as Kimiko and Kakashi — the two strongest shinobi he knew after his own Clan Elders and Hokage — were shredded apart, their shocked faces seared into his mind.<p>

At that moment, Naruto realized that he couldn't move. No matter how much he tried to lift even a single finger, he felt his feet firmly planted on the ground, his arms unable to move, his very lungs frozen in time.

He knew what this was. He'd heard it often enough to recognize it with ease.

He was utterly terrified.

Bitter coldness ran through his veins as he passively watched the two masked shinobi, both wearing what seemed to be breather masks, rush at the petrified Genin and their charge. None of the Genin had seen death before, and to see their two most powerful members get killed in an instant was morale-shattering.

Only belatedly did he realize that Hikari had moved in front of the team and Tazuna, her flame-coloured hair whipping in the air as she made a gesture they were all unfamiliar with. In an instant, a cloud of smoke burst into existence next to her, revealing her usual gigantic scroll.

In one, fluid motion, she grabbed the scroll, twisted on her heel, and used it to club one of the enemy shinobi out of the way, the linked chain between them pulling the other one off his feet as they went flying into the forest brush.

"Naruto-sama!" Hikari cried as she turned to face where her enemies had gone. Her expression was more serious than anything Naruto had ever seen on the girl before. There wasn't an inch of compassion in her eyes or _joie de vivre_ — at this one moment, Hikari was shinobi. Nothing more, nothing less. "Please see to your client's safety!"

With that half-order, Naruto snapped out of his stupor, and immediately wanted to kick himself. How could he have frozen this way? Turning to his teammates, he punched Kiba in the arm lightly and waved in front of Hinata, snapping them out as well.

"Come on!" he stated seriously. "Hikari-chan's got this. We have to keep the old geezer safe!"

Kiba glared at him for a moment for the punch, then nodded stiffly. Hinata, realizing what she'd done, blushed furiously in embarassment at her own weakness, then offered a small smile. With a murmur and a quick hand sign, she quickly invoked her bloodline.

"_Byakugan!_" she murmured softly. "I see everything," she informed her teammates shyly.

Naruto nodded firmly before looking to Kiba. "Kiba, you and I have to keep our eyes on Tazuna. Hinata, you keep watch for any surprises." he quickly assigned roles as he put his back to Tazuna's, while Kiba stood in front of the old man, Akamaru growling softly as the canine watched the fight between Hikari and the two murderers.

The Uzumaki clanswoman was having little trouble, it seemed. Weaving between the two ambushers' attacks, she refrained from using her summons as she worked to beat them down in as much a non-lethal way as possible, for some reason. To Naruto, it just seemed like she was taking Kimiko and Kakashi's deaths in stride, though.

Either way, the two ambushers quickly found themselves on the defensive as the redheaded girl lashed out with punches and kicks that shouldn't have been possible for a girl her size. Each one hit with the force of a sledgehammer, and the two found themselves having to dodge more than they could attack.

And when they did, she just turned the tables on them again and kept going!

"Little bitch!" shouted one of the ambushers as he tried to slash her with his sharpened gauntlet claws.

Naruto watched as Hikari amazingly bent backwards with surprising gymnastic ability, dodged the claw, then continued her backward motion until she clasped her legs around her attacker's arm, slamming him into the ground. Landing on her feet, Hikari smirked as she regarded the other ambusher, who'd held back and watched his partner get ploughed into the ground.

"Gonna call me names too, jerk?" she taunted as she raised a finger and made the universal gesture of 'come at me, bro.'

The ambusher growled, but made no overt moves. He just stood there, contemplating her.

"I know I'm _really_ pretty and all, but just staring is kinda creepy, y'know?" Hikari noted smugly as she remained in her ready stance, the other ambusher groaning still while he lay on the ground.

The remaining attacker was silent as he carefully regarded Hikari, then began chuckling, much to Hikari's wariness. That wasn't the laugh of a desperate man...it was the laugh of someone with an ace up his sleeve.

"Stupid bitch," the remaining ambusher taunted, his voice distorted by the breather mask. Even though his partner had said much of the same thing, Hikari felt her skin tingle. This was much unlike the last time. This wasn't the taunt of an angry man. This was the tone of a man who knew something she did not.

"Gotcha."

"Hikari-san!"

Hikari's eyes widened, her brain processing Hinata's horrified shout as she flung herself sideways, a gigantic cleaver slamming into the ground where she'd stood moments before. Gritting her teeth as she rolled back onto a squat, she found herself unable to follow through with a retaliatory strike as the remaining ambusher launched himself at her, clawed gauntlets slashing away.

She cringed as one nicked her stomach, ripping away strips of her shirt and drawing some superficial blood. Not that she had time to dwell on that, as the cleaver was soon back, swinging away at her and forcing Hikari to keep dodging.

During one such dodge, she spied Naruto and Kiba looking about ready to move to help her, prompting her to nearly panic.

"Naruto-sama! Don't!" she shouted as she jumped back, avoiding another slash just barely. "I'll handle this!"

The thought of it was preposterous, of course, but then she didn't exactly have Kakashi and Kimiko around to help her. She wondered about those two, in fact. Hadn't they managed to draw out the ambushers they were looking for? What the _hell_ was the hold-up?!

* * *

><p>"Naruto-kun! Above!"<p>

Hinata had always known what most people thought of her — weird, shy, incompetent (her family, mostly)... — but if there was one skill she held any sort of small measure of pride, it was her observational skills, with and without the Byakugan.

That's why the moment the senbon flew, she saw them.

Her blonde comrade and worst-secret-ever crush was, in turn, extraordinarily quick on his feet, and quickly tackled Tazuna aside, just as a shower of the potentially deadly projectiles impacted the ground where they'd stood.

"Hinata!" Kiba barked, already looking a great deal more feral as he dropped to all fours, Akamaru right by him. "Give me a target!"

Hinata scanned the area worriedly, feeling her anxiety bubble up quickly. Where had the attacker gone? Where was he? She couldn't afford to mess up now, when Naruto and Kiba were depending on her!

She could feel the crippling anxiety slowly rise through her. What chance did they have? Kakashi-sensei and Kimiko-san had both been killed early on...and Hikari-san was now fighting two strong opponents by herself! What chance did they have?!

She felt her Byakugan flicker slightly as she began to lose control, her entire body beginning to tremble with fear as her emotional side began to take over.

"Hinata!" Kiba shouted again, dodging barely in time as another shower of senbon threatened to take him out. Apparently whoever was attacking had realized that he had the most offensive potential out of the three Genin.

"I...I..." Hinata stuttered, her mind slowly shutting down as the battle raged around her.

So absorbed she was with her own terror that she hadn't even noticed the kunai sent her way by the cleaver-wielding man, the snap action designed to distract Hikari long enough to get a good hit in. While it failed in that stated goal, due in part to the fact that Hikari tried to catch it before barely dodging the cleaver, the kunai nonetheless sped directly towards Hinata, who stood there, shell-shocked at the violence around her.

"HINATA!" Naruto roared desperately, as he noticed the lethal throwing knife go right for her heart. He made a move to go save her, only to be stopped by the sudden arrival of another shower of senbon needles as they tried to skewer him and Tazuna, forcing him to dodge aside with the client as the kunai sped freely towards his friend.

Kiba, also kept away from his partner, gave a guttural cry of infuriated impotence as he was forced away from Hinata by the pinpoint needle strikes.

How had it come to this? How had they gone from a happy outing to such a horrifying scenario in such a short time?

Hinata saw the kunai coming easily, but found her body would not react. All she could do was stare as, in slow motion, the knife creeped closer towards her, its razor edge pitted towards her heart. Her heart...the heart she wanted to give to Naruto...in a totally not-psychopathic way.

The knife edged closer. Closer now. Mere inches away. There was no dodging it, not escaping. Perhaps her father had been right all along. Perhaps she _was_ a total failure.

"Yeah...no."

The knife never came.

Hinata's vision cleared up as the world seemed to come into focus again, her front suddenly blocked by someone's back. Blinking away her confusion, she looked up and saw a familiar stock of grey hair, followed by a familiar green vest.

Kakashi.

"Kakashi...sensei?" she asked in a whimper.

"Hmph," she heard someone scoff next to Kakashi, and she turned her gaze to another familiar figure, clad in a combat kimono. "He's not the only one here, you know."

Kimiko.

Both Kakashi and Kimiko had returned, and from the looks on their faces, they were both rather pissed.

Kakashi brought up the kunai to eye level and examined it, before gazing back at the two ambushers who'd momentarily halted their attack on Hikari to draw back, unsure what to make of the new arrivals, just as Hikari returned to Kakashi and Kimiko's side, breathing hard. A third figure quickly appeared at their side, wearing Hunter-nin regalia. Kakashi's eye narrowed. From the masked shinobi's physique, he would've estimated a youth no older than 15 or 16 years of age. However, the skill the shinobi was displaying was far beyond the talent such a youth ought to have been able to display, his own case and Itachi's notwithstanding.

Kimiko, however, was far less analytical of the situation. She felt rage bubble up in her as she spied the ambushers' slashed headbands. Kiri.

_Kirigakure_.

Three villages remained firmly on the Uzumaki Clan's shit list, and Kirigakure had the unfortunate distinction of topping it by a wide margin. It had been Kiri troops that had laid waste to most of Uzu. It had been Kiri troops who'd taken particular efforts to wipe out the Uzumaki. It had been Kiri troops which had chased her clan out of their ancestral homeland.

It was _all_ Kiri's fault.

"Momochi Zabuza," Kakashi greeted the apparent leader of the ambushers, well aware of the maelstrom of furious emotion raging within his comrade's soul. He might not have been aware of the gritty details, but the fact that she was having such a negative reaction to three ex-Kiri shinobi couldn't be a coincidence. He then glanced at the remaining breather shinobi. "And...one half of the Demon Brothers, right?"

The cleaver-wielding man smirked under his facial bandages and shouldered the weapon. "Hatake Kakashi. Copycat Kakashi. The Man of a Thousand Jutsus," the leader of the enemy troop greeted in kind. "I have to say, I'm honored."

Kakashi would've rolled his eyes if this wasn't such a problematic situation. Thieves and bandits, he could handle, since they were typical hazards on C Rank escort missions. However, when an A-Rank missing nin like Zabuza popped up, it usually meant something had gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Kakashi allowed himself to glance at Tazuna for a second before returning his attention to the enemy shinobi.

...Or Tazuna was lying about the importance of his job.

Well, logical deduction would dictate that the latter was more probable. I mean, what were the odds of dropping in on four Missing Nins? Twice?

"Kakashi-sensei! Kimiko-san/chan!" Kiba and Naruto chorused as they made to move towards him and Kimiko. They were quickly halted by Kakashi raising a hand towards them, indicating they should stop.

"Stay with the client and Hinata," he ordered calmly as he raised his outstretched hand and placed it on his headband, slowly lifting it up to reveal his implanted Sharingan eye. "I'm afraid having you nearby might be distracting right now, and we can't have that."

Kimiko nodded as she slid into a combat stance and bit the tip of her left thumb, then proceeding to use that hand to raise her right sleeve until her bicep was bare, pale skin. "Stay safe, Naruto-sama. We'll deal with this."

Hikari flashed them a comforting smile as she hefted the huge scroll and placed it next to her, ready to be unravelled. "We got this, guys."

Naruto wanted to object, loudly, but Kiba promptly stopped him as he realized how true that was. Even within pack dynamics, a pup was useless in a fight with older canines, and so were usually excluded until deemed ready. This was one such time. If the adults needed them, Kiba was sure they would ask for their help.

"Don't," the feral-looking boy told his comrade. "They're right. The mission comes first," he tried to appeal to Naruto's professionalism...if he had any.

Fortunately, Naruto understood well enough to let them have their way, instead settling for glaring at Kimiko and Hikari's backs. "Don't do anything stupid," he told them before going back to Tazuna, who looked quite shaken by the events unfolding.

Hikari giggled in amusement as she readied her scroll, while Kimiko's mouth twitched briefly. Only Kakashi didn't quite seem to get the joke.

"What's so funny?" He asked the two girls.

"Naruto-sama is considerate," Kimiko stated plainly.

Hikari just giggled harder. "He's such a sweetie!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "If you two are quite done, there's three rather lethal shinobi over there wanting to kill us." he snarked.

Hikari's giggle stopped, while Kimiko glared at the three missing Nins, having remembered that they were from Kiri. "Hikari," she stated calmly, but a rising undercurrent of fury nonetheless began to permeate her words. "They're Kiri shinobi."

"I know," Hikari answered softly. She'd seen the slashed headbands while fighting the cleaver guy and his gauntleted subordinate. Like Kimiko, a well of emotions had risen up in her, but she had done her very best to keep a lid on it. Losing one's cool in battle was a surefire way to get yourself killed.

Kakashi pretended not to hear them as he kept his Sharingan eye trained on Zabuza. While he knew next to nothing about the Hunter Nin, the gauntleted one was clearly half of the Devil Brothers duo, and as such well within Hikari's skillset to take on.

"Whatever your issues, you two, remember we're here to protect the kids and the client, not cash in on some old grudge, understand?" he asked them seriously as his hands drifted towards his kunai pouches.

Both girls grunted their assent as they tensed up, ready to go.

Kakashi nodded curtly. "Alright then..."

He saw Zabuza tense, and he knew it was go time.

"Let's go!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>Post-AN<em>**_: I reiterate - I didn't like this chapter. But, as far as the overarching plot goes, it's consistent with where I want to go. Fortunately, it also means I can finally move on._

_So until next time,_

_Cheers!_

_MB_

_**PS:** And now, for a reminder:  
><em>

_**Glossary:**_

_Names (Fairy Tail Homologue)_

_**Keisuke** (Makarov) - Uzumaki Clan Elder_  
><em><strong>Heiyako<strong> (Poryushka) - Uzumaki Clan Elder_  
><em><strong>Hiroki <strong>(Gildarts) - Uzumaki Clansman, father of Nobuko_  
><em><strong>Raiden<strong> (Laxus) - Uzumaki Clansman, Grandson of Keisuke_  
><em><strong>Akemi<strong> (Mirajane) - Uzumaki Clansman, First degree cousin of Raiden, older sister of Daisuke and Miyuki_  
><em><strong>Daisuke<strong> (Elfman) - Uzumaki Clansman, younger brother of Akemi, older brother of Lisanna_  
><em><strong>Miyuki<strong> (Lisanna) - Uzumaki Clansman, younger sister of Akemi and Daisuke_  
><em><strong>Eiji<strong> (Fried) - Uzumaki Clansman, first degree cousin of Raiden and Akemi/Daisuke/Miyuki_  
><em><strong>Yuki<strong> (Gray) - Uzumaki Clansman by marriage (stepson of Uzumaki Nana)_  
><em><strong>Kimiko<strong> (Erza) - Uzumaki Clansman, second degree cousin of Raiden**  
><strong>**Nobuko** (Cana) - Uzumaki Clansman, daughter of Hiroki_  
><em><strong>Takeshi<strong> (Gajeel) - Uzumaki Clansman_  
><em><strong>Natsu<strong> (Natsu) - Uzumaki Clansman_  
><em><strong>Hikari<strong> (Lucy) - Uzumaki Clansman, first degree cousin of Nobuko and Amaya_  
><em><strong>Amaya<strong> (Juvia) - Uzumaki Clansman_  
><em><strong>Sora<strong> (Wendy) - Uzumaki Clansman, third degree cousin of Natsu and Takeshi_  
><em><strong>Maki<strong> (Levy) - Uzumaki Clansman, fourth degree cousin of Eiji, sixth degree cousin of Takeshi_  
><em><strong>Kyokai <strong>(Macao) - Uzumaki Clansman; works in Sensor & Interception_  
><em><strong>Wakaba<strong> (Wakaba) - Uzumaki Clansman; works in Sensor & Interception_


	13. Wave Arc: Road Bumps

_**AN: **I'm on a roll this week! One chapter for Emperor, and now another for LoU? Woot!_

_...though I suppose this one may be less well received than the one for Emperor. I'm sorry, guys, but if you were expecting a thirty-page battle scene, that's not really my thing. Plus, I'm trying to avoid the whole DBZ thing where a single fight takes like...forever to conclude. Ninjas are supposed to be efficient and quick, right?_

_Hope you enjoy it, regardless!_

_Cheers,_

_MB_

_PS: Possible poll question in the Post-AN notes!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>LAST TIME, ON DRAGON BALL Z ABR-wait, wrong anime...<strong>_

_The trip to Wave has begun, as Team Kakashi initiates its flagship C-Rank mission! Yet, despite a rather peaceful and monotonous journey, both Kakashi and Uzumaki Kimiko, who along with Uzumaki Hikari, have been put on protection detail for Naruto, have begun to suspect that they have been followed, and that perhaps it has to do with their client. Suspicious, both elite shinobi initiate a daring plan to set up a trap for their enemies. In perfect execution, their trap succeeds, bringing to light the infamous Demon of the Hidden Mist, Momochi Zabuza, and his accomplices, the Demon Brothers and a mysterious, masked shinobi. With Kakashi and Kimiko soon back in action, both sides are at a stand off. Who will win this confrontation? Stay tuned!_

* * *

><p>"Let's go!"<p>

Kakashi had shouted the order, but neither Hikari nor Kimiko had moved. The rogue shinobi, however, had no such qualms, with the Hunter Nin immediately flinging more senbon needles, while the one with the breather mask charged at Hikari, his clawed combat glove ready to tear at her skin.

Only Zabuza had stayed put, raising one hand before him in a very obvious half-hand seal of the Rat, his other hand raised up high in the other half.

"_Kirigakure no Jutsu,_" Zabuza intoned dangerously, mist already starting to form all around him.

Kakashi, a little miffed that neither Uzumaki had chosen to follow his lead, suddenly realized how precarious their situation was. Zabuza was a proficient silent killer, and while the Hidden Mist technique was worthless against higher level shinobi, like himself and probably Kimiko, his Genin had no chance.

"The Genin!" he barked at Kimiko and Hikari, who both frowned as they quickly recognized his warning. In an instant, both Uzumaki clanswomen jumped back, closer to their charge, easily avoiding the initial strikes from their opponents.

Kakashi, for his part, reached his team much faster, quickly setting up position in front of them. "Eyes open!" he barked at them, his eyes narrowing. "Zabuza's best at killing in this sort of situation. Don't drop your guard in any direction!"

Naruto and Kiba tensed, while Hinata whimpered a bit, still trying to regain control of herself after her near-death experience. Tazuna swallowed as he remained in the middle of the Genin three-man circle, unsure what to do with himself. He'd feared this might happen, but the trip had been so peaceful, so calm, that he'd begun to hope that perhaps he'd been too paranoid.

Well, not anymore.

"You're kind to say so," Zabuza said with an evil chuckle, somewhere within the thick mist. Even Hikari and Kimiko's opponents had now vanished, apparently following their leader's lead. It made sense, really. Why go for the frontal strike, when you could put the enemy off balance? "But you know, knowing isn't the same as having the skill to stop me, Sharingan no Kakashi."

He chuckled again, prompting goosebumps in all three Genin. Kakashi couldn't blame them, not really. They were all such rookies, still. They'd never met with someone with as much killing experience as Zabuza, or with as little moral hiccups about performing his job. Even though Kakashi was, on paper, much more lethal, he'd always made it a point to keep himself as harmless as possible, on the outside.

It made clients feel safer.

Right now, however, appearing warm and cuddly wasn't a priority, however. Unfortunately, nor could he show off his hyper-lethal personna, given that he had no visible opponent to direct it towards. Even if he did, there was no guarantee that a former ANBU-class ninja like Zabuza would be affected by it.

"I _hate_ the mist," growled Kimiko as she slid further and further back, towards the Genin. Like Kakashi, she seemed to have come to the conclusion that the client was the most likely target.

Hikari giggled nervously. "Shame Maki isn't here. She'd have nixed this technique in an instant."

Both women tensed instantly and then blocked another attack from their unseen attackers, prompting a rather vicious growl from Kimiko, while Hikari quieted down.

"Kimiko...Hikari-chan..." Naruto spoke up worriedly.

"Stay where you are, Naruto-sama!" Kimiko barked impatiently as she scanned the area around them. "This isn't a training exercise!"

Another malevolent chuckle in the mist. "Such devotion," Zabuza crooned dangerously, still out of sight. Kakashi's head snapped to his left, where he let out a few shurikens. Again, Zabuza laughed. "What're you aiming at, Hatake?"

Kakashi frowned. This was a dangerous situation. He had three charges to protect, and two fellow ninjas whom he wasn't sure he could rely upon to protect two of those three. In addition, that Hunter Nin impostor seemed pretty able, and while the remaining Demon Brother was probably a pushover, comparatively speaking, he was sure that between Zabuza and the masked nin, he was in very real trouble.

"Hinata, do you see anything?" he asked, as calmly as he could. The last thing he needed was for the most neurotic member of his team to have another breakdown.

The Hyuuga Heiress swallowed nervously before shaking her head, still recovering from her previous breakdown. "N-No..." she all but whimpered. "I...I'm so sorry..."

Kakashi sighed imperceptibly. Perhaps Hinata hadn't been ready for the next step in her ninja training. Then again, he supposed her reaction was much more normal, in the face of the sudden difficulty jump the mission had undergone.

"It's okay," he assured her, still scanning the thick mist for a sign — _any_ sign — that Zabuza was nearby. "Just keep your eyes peeled. That goes for all three of you!"

"_Hai_, sensei!" All three Genin answered dutifully. Kakashi was glad. At least they could still show some semblance of self control.

"Pfft," Zabuza scoffed within the midst. "Such dutiful little cannon fodder."

"Show yourself!" Kimiko demanded, feeling her rage slowly build up as she was unable to exact her revenge on the enemies of her Clan.

"Now, now," Zabuza taunted. "That wouldn't be very shinobi-esque of me, now would it?"

Kimiko bared her grit teeth, her anger reaching peak levels. Beside her, Hikari glanced at her barely visible clanswoman with growing anxiety. Hikari had managed to keep a lid on her feelings when she'd realized the enemy was from Kiri, but she knew Kimiko would have a much harder time doing so. To the older clanswoman, they were the reason her family was gone. Why the Uzumaki had been forced to live in comparative squalor.

"We need to break this mist," Hikari told Kakashi as she blocked a few kunai sent her way. Even her gauntleted opponent seemed at ease within the thick mist. How on earth were they tracking the group?!

"I'm open to suggestions," Kakashi admitted as he kept both eyes bared. He hated to admit it, but right now, he was somewhat drawing a blank. A plan using his ninken had occurred to him, but with two other unknowns possibly ready to sacrifice Zabuza for the kill, his margin of error was pretty damn slim.

Too slim for his peace of mind.

"Jump," Kimiko growled.

Kakashi blinked. "What?" he asked, confused at the redhead's sudden order.

Kimiko's eyes were ablaze now, her fury having overcome the last of her tolerance. "I said..._JUMP!_"

Without further warning, her bloody thumb raced down the length of her opposing arm, the splatter of blood amazingly seeping right into her pearly skin. Then, to Kakashi's amazement, strange characters inked themselves into being, racing from her shoulder to her elbow, with a very distinct swirl pattern in their midst.

"_Kuchiyose!_" she intoned as the characters began glowing bright, the sudden surge of chakra causing her long, red hair to billow. "_Uchide no Kozuchi._" she growled dangerously.

Kakashi blinked for a moment before the name clicked. "She can't be serious..." he mumbled, somewhat surprised at this revelation. The Miracle Mallet, as it was otherwise known, was merely a myth!

Yet, before his eyes, even despite the thick mist, a rather large hammer appeared in her hands, totally belying the legendary mallet's description as a small hammer. Moreover, rather than a simple mallet, it appeared as an intricate warhammer, lovingly forged and carved with intricate, swirl designs where the metal met the shaft.

Seeing her raise it, her chakra levels spiking, Kakashi immediately realized her intention and turned to his Genin. "JUMP!" he ordered before dashing to Tazuna, grabbing him, and putting as much chakra into his feet before launching himself upwards.

Without further warning, Kimiko let out a howl of exertion as she swung the hammer down onto the ground, the chakra-reinforced blow impacting the ground like a bomb. The very ground fractured on impact, fissures running everywhere without prejudice or thought as the road rose was destroyed by the allegedly mythical weapon.

The mist started to thin out almost immediately. Zabuza's control over it had been broken thanks to the distraction caused by the cataclysmic event. Yet, even so, Kakashi was now faced with a new problem — a very uneven battleground, as Kimiko's reckless move had caused the entire area to look like a massive earthquake had rent the ground asunder.

"_Yare, yare_..." he heard Hikari sighed as she began to fall next to him. The younger Uzumaki seemed almost used to this sort of thing. "I haven't seen that one in a while."

"There's _more_?" Kakashi asked tightly, almost afraid to know.

Hikari snorted. "It's Kimiko's special technique. Everyone summons companions to fight. She just summons more weapons."

Oddly enough, Kakashi thought it was a perfect fit for the loner Uzumaki girl.

On the other hand, however...

He glanced down at the sole person still on the ground. Kimiko was standing there, the large warhammer in hand, and she was glaring up at the sky, opposite himself. Ignoring Tazuna's incredulous exclamations, Kakashi followed her line of sight, and narrowed his own eyes.

Zabuza.

The Hidden Mist Swordsman had made it out alright, as did his masked colleague. The gauntleted shinobi, however, was nowhere to be seen. Probably had been taken out by Kimiko's attack.

Either way, Kakashi had unfinished business with the man.

Falling back down, he buckled a bit under the added weight of Tazuna and the uneven ground before managing to stabilise, a little miffed at not having thought of Kimiko's strategy before she had. Then again, he didn't exactly like big, flashy attacks, so maybe that was it.

"Go back to the Genin," he instructed Tazuna as he slid back into a combat ready stance. The old builder nodded weakly before hopping along the ground fragments left standing after Kimiko's devastating area attack.

"Seems your mist is done for, Zabuza!" he remarked idly as he grasped his left wrist, ready to activate his signature _Chidori_. Beside him, Hikari landed softly, obviously far more used to this sort of thing than he was.

Zabuza glared at him, then at Kimiko for good measure, as the redheaded Uzumaki clanswoman hefted the warhammer onto her shoulder. "I see you're not as weak as I thought," he growled.

"Zabuza-san..."

Kakashi's ears pricked up as the masked shinobi apparently spoke up for the first time. Surprisingly soft, and young. How old _was_ that shinobi?

Zabuza glowered at his companion for a moment before reluctantly nodding and turning away. "We're done here," he declared before drawing his greatsword and swinging it towards Kakashi, keeping it level as it aimed at the Copy Ninja. "Thank your lucky stars, Hatake. And whoever that bitch is. We'll settle this later."

Kakashi glared, but the ferocity of his was no match for Kimiko's, who suddenly launched herself at Zabuza, hammer already high and ready to swing.

"Who's the bitch, Kiri scum?!" she threatened as she sailed overhead. "Hikari!"

"_Hai_!" the younger Uzumaki acquiesced as she stood, legs spread, her hands flipping through an impressive amount of hand seals before settling in with the seal of the Rat. "_Uzumaki Fuinjutsu!_" she chanted, unaware of Tazuna suddenly becoming a shade paler. "_Kosoku Fuin!_"

Immediately, seal arrays appeared around the masked shinobi and Zabuza, surprising them as lines of sealing characters raced towards them, prompting them to jump straight up to avoid them.

Right into Kimiko's path.

With a guttural cry of exertion, the redhead's muscles flexed as she swung forward the large hammer, its head glowing with chakra. Whatever it hit would _not_ be getting back up again.

Zabuza seemed to have realized this, as he quickly threw the masked ninja aside and brought up his famed Executioner's Blade to block the attack. Legendary weapon met legendary weapon head on as the two shinobi refused to back down. Zabuza's cold, merciless eyes met Kimiko's raging glare, both shinobi grunting as the chakra buildup between the Executioner's Blade and the Miracle Mallet threatened to grow out of control, possibly crippling whoever lost out in this contest of strength.

"Such strength...!" Zabuza growled, a little surprised at how the redheaded woman was matching him. Kimiko, however, had no such words of respect, as she merely growled fiercely.

Eventually, however, neither the Mallet nor the Blade was able to hold on for much longer, and the chakra build up did what it would in any other such situation.

It exploded.

With a large blast, Zabuza and Kimiko flew to opposing sides, their weapons flying free of their masters. Kimiko hit the ground hard, crying out in pain as she slammed into the ground, rolled, and finished rammed against a tree. Despite the force of the impact, and Naruto and Hikari's cries of surprise and worry, the fact that she soon tried to get up told them she was still alive, if rather injured. Her Mallet, for its part, came to a rest nearby, looking a little worse for wear, but still usable.

Zabuza fared little better.

The explosion flung the former Kiri ninja right into the forest, ramming him into various branches before hitting the ground and rolling until he came to a full stop against a nearby tree. A few meters away, his Executioner's Blade ended its flight by stabbing into the ground, the blade itself cracked but otherwise somewhat intact.

Immediately the masked ninja sped towards his colleague, while the Genin, Tazuna, and Hikari went for Kimiko. Only Kakashi remained where he was, and he quickly debated how to proceed.

One the one hand, he could let Zabuza go and help Kimiko.

On the other hand, he could attack Zabuza now and end the threat to his team and the client right here and now.

It didn't take him long to decide.

With a grunt, his extended hand became alight with electricity, crackling and making an odd chirping noise. His Sharingan tomoe spinning wildly, he charged at Zabuza's prone form, knowing that he'd be competing with the masked shinobi, who was much closer to Zabuza, in order to reach the fallen missing-nin.

He didn't make it.

Just as he drew his arm back and readied the sab, the masked shinobi gave a cry of alarm and suddenly sped _up_, quickly overtaking Kakashi, grabbing Zabuza, and getting out of the way. As such, Kakashi simply felt his hand cut through the trunk of the tree the former Swordsman of the Mist had been leaning against. Frowning at his miss, he turned to look for the Executioner's Blade, reasoning that even if Zabuza remained alive, his skills would be substantially decreased by depriving him of his blade.

It was nowhere to be found.

The masked ninja must've taken it.

Kakashi growled softly to himself. What a mess this mission had become!

* * *

><p>"Kimiko-nee!" Hikari cried out as she slid into position next to the older redhead.<p>

"Kimiko!" Naruto joined in as he, too came to rest next to his kinswoman. "You alright, Kimiko-chan?"

"...'m...fine," Kimiko groaned as she tried to get up, but failed. She gave a soft grunt of pain as she fell on her side, gritting her teeth and tightening her eyes as she felt her ribs poking where they shouldn't. "...Ribs..."

Naruto watched silently as Hikari nodded in understanding and dug through her travelling bags for bandages and splints. To Naruto, what he'd just seen...the way his older kinsman had fought...it was all so incredible!

He had to fight to keep a grin off his face, knowing neither Kimiko nor Hikari would probably appreciate his usual, exuberant attitude right now.

Even so, he couldn't help but replay the sight of Kimiko wielding that _awesome_ hammer and destroying the ground with a single swing, looking like the world's most pissed off blacksmith. The moment Kakashi had insisted he jump, he'd grabbed Hinata, who was still somewhat out of it, and done as asked, not even a little bit aware that the poor girl had blushed furiously at the close contact. When the hammer struck ground, he'd thought the earth had exploded, given the ridiculous effects it'd caused.

Kiba had swore quite a bit at the sight, while Akamaru whined, a little unsettled at what had happened.

For Naruto, however, this was not a source of fear or caution, but of pride.

His clansman had done that. _His_ _clansman_.

For years, he'd been the butt of ridicule and ostracizing. For years, he'd endured social neglect and jeers. He'd often pondered on the possibility that his family had garnered a reputation of traitors or criminals, hence the explanation for his treatment.

Seeing Kimiko in action, however, had blown those remaining fears away.

His clan was strong. They were loyal to each other. And while Kimiko was about as approachable as a coiled viper, she'd nonetheless gone up against Zabuza ostensibly to protect him, without question or protest.

"What'cha grinning about?" Hikari asked him, surprising him out of his thoughts.

Naruto blinked, unaware his self control — though arguably practically non-existent to begin with — had caved, and his grin had finally bloomed. Rallying, he simply grinned wider and looked down at Kimiko, who was looking at him in confusion.

"That was awesome, Kimiko-chan!" he told her earnestly, flashing her a thumbs-up.

The redheaded clanswoman's eyes widened a bit at the declaration in honest surprise, and Naruto was _sure_ he saw a glimmer of embarrassment in those eyes of hers before she huffed and turned away, prompting Hikari to giggle.

"Flatterer," the younger Uzumaki woman noted wryly.

"It was, though!" Naruto insisted as he kept smiling down at Kimiko. "Can I learn that summoning stuff?!"

Kimiko glanced at him for a moment before looking away quickly, a mild tinge of red on her cheeks showing up before being ruthlessly put down by the woman's exorbitant self-control. "I'm afraid not, Naruto-sama. This jutsu was tailor made for me," she stated firmly.

Hikari smiled slyly. "But I'm sure you could teach him a thing or two about sealing, right?" she proposed not-so-innocently. "After all, the basics are the same."

The glare Kimiko flashed Hikari could've _ended_ a country, though the younger clanswoman merely kept her smile firm. Hikari had seen an opportunity to force the elder woman to connect with the future Clan Head, and she wasn't about to let it slip her grasp.

"Besides," she added sweetly, though Kimiko was never once fooled. "you're going to be bedridden for at least a few days. Might as well make it productive!"

Kimiko looked about to protest when the bane of her existence decided to speak up.

"That sounds like a great idea," Kakashi agreed as he walked up with Tazuna, pulling down his headband back over his Sharingan-wielding eye.

"Really?!" Naruto exclaimed, feeling excited.

Kakashi eye smiled at his most exuberant pupil. "Of course. In fact, I think _all three_ of you may benefit from Kimiko-san's knowledge of seals!" he added, nodding to Kiba and Hinata, whose eyes widened as they were suddenly included in the impromptu lesson plan. He couldn't blame them — it was highly irregular for a clan to teach outside the constraints of family. Even more irregular was that _he_ was pushing for it, considering his aversion to the Uzumaki influencing his lesson plans.

If Kimiko had looked like she wasn't going to protest before, that quickly changed as her face pinkened and she struggled to rise — something quickly countered by Hikari, who activated a restraining seal on the older woman. She'd pay for it later, she was sure, but this was a good opportunity to help Kimiko break out of her shell.

Something she had no doubts Kakashi had realized as well.

Naruto grinned excitedly. Keisuke had made sealing sound so boring that he'd been bored to tears numerous times when the senior clansman had opted to begin his lessons. However, seeing Kimiko's sealing knowledge put into practice this way had given him a whole new appreciation for the craft!

Moreover, he could share his knowledge with Kiba and Hinata! He was sure they were as excited as he was to learn more about the Uzumaki's strange skills!

It never once occurred to him that them learning alongside him would be breaking centuries of traditions.

Kimiko, however, could not stop thinking of _only_ that. She was widely considered, and feared, as the Uzumaki Clan's enforcer, which meant these traditions were under her purview. If she, the Clan's law enforcer, was seen or said to break these traditions, what role could she possibly play? She would be disgraced. A traitor.

Was that what Kakashi sought for? To have her own clan exile her? If so, she wouldn't bite at the bait. She would teach Naruto, and Naruto alone, but _not_ his teammates!

Hikari must've seen her intentions through her body language, because the summoner frowned at her momentarily before looking up at Naruto and smiling.

"That sounds wonderful," the younger Uzumaki female agreed as she nodded to Kakashi, who momentarily seemed taken aback by the ready agreement. "It's very important that everyone here expand their horizons. You never know when a seal could save your life!"

Naruto, however, couldn't have cared less. He was far too happy celebrating his future training under Kimiko with Kiba and Hinata, who both seemed uneasy about the prospect, to have paid much attention to Hikari and Kakashi.

The cyclopedean ninja chuckled at the sight before slowly drawing his vision towards Tazuna, who stood, pale faced, next to him. Kakashi hadn't forgotten how the man had reacted to the arrival of the enemy shinobi. It hadn't been surprise, so much as resignation. Combined with the use of the Hidden Mist jutsu, Kakashi was fairly certain he knew what was going on here.

"Well, we can discuss the details later." he noted idly. "For now, why don't we take Tazuna-san back home, eh?"

The old bridge builder swallowed nervously at the suggestion, further reinforcing Kakashi's suspicions. Nevertheless, Tazuna nodded, while the Genin showed their approval, along with Hikari, who agreed on her and Kimiko's behalf.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Wave Country, One Day Later...<strong>_

"Alright, Tazuna-san, explain."

Kakashi, Hikari, and a bedridden Kimiko were all gathered in the girls' room, along with Tazuna, who looked like he desperately wanted a shot of whatever alcohol was readily available. However, to ensure that the old man focused on the issue at hand, Kakashi had forbade the man's rather beautiful daughter, Tsunami, from giving him any. Ninja business, he'd said — which effectively covered his bases on pretty much any issue under the sun.

Tazuna sighed despondently as she plopped down on the wooden floor and leaned against the back wall. He pinched his nose in silent frustration before nodding. "Alright," he agreed.

Taking a deep breath, he began his tale. "You know of Gato, right?"

Hikari blinked blankly while Kimiko shook her head ever so slightly. Only Kakashi nodded.

"The owner of Gato Corporation, right?" he asked. At Tazuna's nod, he elaborated for the sake of the Uzumaki women. "He's an important businessman in Fire Country. Owns shipping companies and holds lucrative shipping contracts up and down the coast."

He tilted his head while staring at Tazuna. "But his headquarters is here...isn't it?"

Tazuna nodded, confirming Kakashi's explanation. "Basically. Wave's greatest son, he thinks he is. Pfft. He's a super jackass, is what he is. All those shipping contracts? Those export-import businesses? Fronts. All of them. Uses them to funnel drugs and other illegal goods," he added bitterly.

"Why haven't the authorities detained him, then?" Hikari asked, confused. Next to her, Kimiko frowned silently, apparently also in confusion.

Tazuna scoffed. "He _is_ the authorities, lass," he informed the two young women. "If it ain't in Gato's super deep pockets, it doesn't exist, here in Wave."

"What about the Daimyo?" Kimiko asked, her voice a little raspy from the pain. To Hikari's growing confusion, the older kinsman's tone had a rather urgent quality to it. Almost desperate, even. "Why doesn't he intervene?"

Tazuna was silent for a moment before glancing away. "...Daimyo's in his pocket, too," he admitted sadly. "Things haven't been good in a while."

Tazuna's answer was obviously not what Kimiko had wanted to hear, because the redhead seemed rather distressed by the news. Hikari looked over at Kakashi, who seemed rather stoic at the whole situation.

"So why are you on this man's hit list, Tazuna-san?" Kakashi asked simply.

Tazuna clicked his tongue angrily. "Little toad owns every boat and port in the country," Tazuna explained. "But Wave ain't super far away from Fire, so I figured I'd build a super bridge to it."

"Cut off Gato's influence, you mean," Kakashi deduced. "Break the monopoly." Tazuna nodded.

"Yeah. 'xcept that didn't go so well, yeah? No one here would back it. Had to smuggle myself out to even find the funding for it. Found an investor at the Fire Capital, but he needs it done soon, so I hauled ass back here," Tazuna noted, crossing his arms angrily. "'xcept Gato sends me this super annoying messenger telling me to back off or he'd kill me, right? Now, I ain't afraid to die for my people, but if I died, who'd take care of Tsunami-chan and my grandson?"

Kakashi grimaced a bit, despite himself. They'd met the old man's daughter and grandson. Whatever charm the young woman had displayed, her son had obviously not inherited it, as he'd constantly moped and whined all throughout their arrival. Inari, he thought the kid was named.

Anyway, he'd run off soon after, though not before royally pissing off Naruto.

Which was _another_ problem in itself. But one which could be dealt with later.

"Anyway, so that's why I came to Konoha. Figured if anyone could cough up a few shinobi to protect my super old bones, it'd be you guys," Tazuna explained. "Didn't expect the prices to be so high, though."

"And that's why you lied," Kakashi reminded him sternly. "You realize that by doing so, we are fully within our rights to leave you here cold, right?"

Tazuna nodded despondently before letting his head drop such that his chin touched his chest. "Yeah, I figured," he said before raising his gaze and looking at Kakashi defiantly. "Even so, I don't regret it. I couldn't afford more than a C-rank on the budget I was given, and I _needed_ to make it back here. I figured, a Jonin would be more than enough to deal with whatever Gato sent our way, even if there were three squirts around."

He then frowned. "Never expected that super toad to hire shinobi, though."

"That's beside the point," Kakashi insisted as he, too, crossed his arms. "Tazuna-san, were it not for the fact that Kimiko-san and Hikari-san were around, the results of that fight might have gone _far _worse. My Genin are in _no_ condition to be fighting A-rank ninjas."

"For once, we agree," Kimiko muttered from her prone position as she glared at the old bridge builder.

"Which means," Kakashi continued, ignoring Kimiko's comments, "that it would be the best decision all around to leave. I'm sure Konoha will send you back a refund, or renegotiate for a more appropriate fee and team."

Tazuna raised his head to meet Kakashi's stare before looking up and sighing as he closed his eyes. "Then you've killed us all," he stated simply.

Kakashi frowned. There really was no need for the man to get so dramatic. "Zabuza's been injured, Tazuna-san. I'm sure he'll be out of fighting condition for a bit. In that time, it would be very easy to acquire a new team."

Tazuna chuckled incredulously. "You think that's what I'm worried about?" he asked, sounding totally defeated. "Those shinobi were new for me, but it ain't even a drop in Gato's army of mercenaries. Right now, all that's probably keeping him from attacking my home and killing me and my family are you guys. Three dead in a freak robbing incident? He won't even lose a wink of sleep over it. Killing Konoha shinobi? That'd put a crimp in his business deals with Fire."

Kakashi said nothing, but silently, and reluctantly, agreed with the man's assessment. While shinobi dying on missions was nothing new, there _would_ be a few raised eyebrows if a team ostensibly on a C-Rank mission suddenly died _after_ having arrived at their destination.

Which put him in a rather uncomfortable spot.

Kakashi had wanted to confront Tazuna right after the ambush, but Kimiko's situation had forced his hand and made him postpone the inevitable confrontation until they'd reached Wave, where Hikari could more safely perform whatever procedures she needed to guarantee her kinsman's health. While not life threatening, Kimiko's injuries _were_ sufficient to warrant some concern, so he'd waited.

Only now, leaving would be monstrously immoral, even if it was well within Konoha's regulations.

And while Kakashi didn't consider himself a saint by any measure of the word, he _did_ think of himself as a man with righteous and well-defined morals. Which was why this was such a hard situation to deal with.

On the one hand, he had his team to protect, and that demanded that they leave immediately, or at least as soon as Kimiko was in shape to move on her own.

On the other, leaving Tazuna and his family unprotected was basically _asking_ for a massacre.

A less restrained man would've screamed in frustration, or at least growled. Kakashi merely accepted his situation stoically.

"You're sure that would be his reaction?" he asked Tazuna, dreading the answer.

Tazuna scoffed. "No. I wager it'd be super crueller in reality," he stated with conviction. "Last time someone stood up to him, it was my son-in-law, Kaiza. Gato strung him up in the middle of the town, in broad daylight, and had him tortured and executed, in public and in his presence."

Hikari looked sick at the revelation, while Kimiko looked like she could chew through steel right now, judging from how set her jaw was. Only Kakashi kept his feelings well compartmentalized.

"How had we not heard of this?" Hikari asked softly to Kimiko. "Keisuke-choro would've easily come to help these people for free!"

Kimiko didn't answer, though she suspected she already knew why.

"So that's what you'll be doing to us if you leave, Kakashi-san," Tazuna stated grimly. "I ain't one for guilt tripping, but that's the way things are here. I'm not afraid to dirty my hands a bit if it means I can protect the people I love."

Kakashi was silent, though he knew Hikari and Kimiko were both very much in favour of staying and helping. Truth was, however, their opinions didn't matter. Not because he thought them inferior or anything, but because they weren't the ones hired under false pretenses. If they wanted to stay, it'd be of their own free will, but as far as he and his team were concerned, leaving or staying — that was his decision.

And the truth was, it was not an easy one to make, or one he was even ready to pronounce himself on.

"I'll think about it," he bargained for now, closing his eyes as he stood back up and went for the door. "I'll let you know what I decide, Tazuna-san."

The old bridge builder nodded sadly, while Kimiko and Hikari threw him a few judging frowns. Kakashi ignored both of them. He had to think of what was best for everyone, not just strangers who'd lied to him and endangered his teammates.

Without another word, he slid open the door and walked out.

* * *

><p>Naruto was <em>not<em> happy.

Not just because of that Inari brat — though, yes, the little kid _did_ manage to get under his skin with his "there are no heroes!" bullshit — but rather because of what Hinata had just told him and Kiba, after having basically eavesdropped on Kakashi, Kimiko, Hikari, and Tazuna's conversation by reading their lips via Byakugan.

"Damn..." Kiba muttered, stroking a despondent Akamaru's white fur as the puppy rested quietly on his lap. "That's messed up."

Hinata nodded in agreement, looking down shyly, a little embarrassed that she'd been speaking for so long, especially in Naruto's presence.

"Kakashi won't abandon them, right?" Naruto asked his teammates. "I mean, it wouldn't be right, right?"

Kiba sighed, leaning back onto his hands as he looked up. "I dunno, man," he admitted. "He's not wrong. I heard from Mom and Hana that lying about a mission was pretty serious stuff."

"So what?!" Naruto asked, a little heatedly, as he smacked his palm into the grass of Tazuna's backyard. "These people need our help! We can't just leave them!"

"B-But..." Hinata tried speaking up, swallowing nervously. She didn't want to contradict her crush, but there _were_ valid points within Kakashi's arguments. "W-We can't f-fight p-people like that!"

Kiba shot Naruto a critical glance. "She's right, man." he agreed. "We're not talking a friendly spar, remember? That dude with the sword was pretty serious about cutting us up. We're not ready for that kind of guy."

Naruto growled in frustration, ruffling his own hair irritably. "Even so!" he insisted. "We're Konoha shinobi, right? We're the good guys! We can't be leaving people to their deaths!"

Hinata and Kiba exchanged looks. They knew Naruto had a point, and frankly, they felt the same way, too. However, they were also both far more realistic about their prospects than their blonde comrade.

Naruto sighed, slowly calming down again. He knew both his comrades were right, in a sense. Takeshi and the others' lessons in critical thinking had done wonders for his ability to analyse a situation, and he knew the odds weren't good. Besides, abandoning people just went against everything he believed in. It stood against everything Keisuke and Heiyako and the rest of his clan taught him. It went against all that was good and decent and right.

And yeah, so what if they were outmatched? So what if the enemy was stronger? Battles had been fought before by uneven forces and sometimes, the little guy won!

Again, that critical thinking kicked in, and he quickly qualified that thought with the sobering knowledge that more often than not, it actually ended in victory for the bigger side.

Even so...

"...what use is it being shinobi," he wondered aloud, staring up at the clear, blue sky, "...if it just means abandoning people when they need us the most?"

Kiba and Hinata exchanged looks again, this time both feeling a bit ashamed. Both had been ready to side with Kakashi due to their odds in battle, but the truth was, Naruto's point of view was solid. If they started making excuses now, when would they stop? Would they _always_ run away when outgunned? What did that say about them as _people_?

Kiba shot Hinata a small, tolerant smile before sighing and setting his face into a resigned expression. "Damn, Naruto," he said, faking a little annoyance. "If you're going to say stuff like that, how the hell do you expect me to back down?"

Naruto looked up at his friends and widened his eyes as he saw Kiba holding out a fist at him.

"I say we stay," his canine friend said with a cocky grin that masked the mountain of insecurities he was feeling right now. "If Kakashi wants us to go, he'll have to _drag_ us back!"

Hinata nodded fervently, though, not getting the whole fist bump thing, lay her hands on Kiba's outstretched fist and glanced shyly at Naruto. "Un!" she grunted in agreement.

Naruto's look of surprise quickly turned to a happy grin before he extended a fist and bumped with Kiba, all three of their hands now touching. "Hell yeah!"

None of them noticed Kakashi standing near the porch entrance, listening in. Without even saying a word, the cyclopedean ninja vanished back into the house.

* * *

><p>It was a tense dinner that evening.<p>

Tazuna hadn't stopped alternating between drinking heavily and glancing at Kakashi, looking at the man as though he were a coiled snake, about to end his life with a bite. Kakashi, for his part, had eaten his portion in a flash, to everyone's amazement — especially since it meant no one got to see him unmasked.

Hikari, meanwhile, had softly excused herself upon finishing her meal and offered to take Kimiko's share up to their room, despite Tsunami's protests. Only the frown she shot Kakashi before going up the stairs indicated her displeasure with the Jonin.

Tsunami, having noticed the obvious tension in the room, had tried to coax Hinata into talking, but quickly realized that the trainee shinobi was as shy as one could physically get without being a total shut-in, and quickly gave it up as a bad job. Her son, on the other hand, kept glaring at Kiba and Naruto, who seemed eager to beat each other in a food eating contest.

The two male Genin were very much aware of the tension in the room, but as Naruto's clan had shown the future Clan Head, a little levity went a long way to defuse a tense situation.

"Better step it up if you think you're going to beat me to that last piece of fish, mutt," Naruto taunted, his words a little muffled by the food in his mouth.

Kiba grinned, unaware that there was a bit of seaweed visibly stuck on his left upper canine. "Bring it on, blockhead!" he taunted right back.

Hinata giggled, despite herself. The exchanges reminded her of the outings the Genin Pool had done before this mission, when they all just joined in for one, big, merry excursion. Their teachers had been ambivalent about it at first, but then quietly encouraged it when they noticed that their team dynamics vastly improved after these interactions.

"Maa, maa..." Kakashi sighed. "Please remember that you're guests in this house?" he reminded them, though he seemed rather amused by the display. Even so, if Tazuna was right and the country was as predictably impoverished as he implied it was, then this dinner was likely cutting deep into the family's food supplies.

Both preteens stopped mid-bite and swallowed nervously before bowing their heads in unison to Tsunami. "Thank you for the food!" they chorused, their bowls left clean in front of them.

Tsunami smiled kindly at them, though she did seem a little surprised by their appetite. "That's...That's alright," she told them. "You're very welcome, boys."

Naruto and Kiba raised their bowed heads and grinned before exchanging sudden looks of challenge.

"You know what I feel like doing now?" Naruto asked, a little dangerously.

"Spar?" Kiba answered, his hands already clenching and unclenching in obvious challenge.

Naruto grinned, prompting a similar one from the Inuzuka heir. "Damn right!" both chorused before snapping their heads towards Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei! May we go spar?!" they asked in unison.

Kakashi chuckled briefly before shrugging. "Just don't wander too far off," he said in tacit approval. Both boys cheered before dashing out, leaving Hinata in that _very_ tense room. Kakashi, seeing her fidgetting and glancing at the door the boys had left out of, took pity on the girl. "Go ahead, Hinata. Make sure they don't do anything stupid."

Hinata shot a look of surprise, then gratitude, at him and nodded once before politely excusing herself and following the boys out at a much more decent pace.

Inari soon excused himself as well, though far more irritably. Judging from the direction he'd stalked off to, Kakashi guessed he was going out to spy on the Genin. Good. Maybe he'd catch some of Naruto's infectious optimism while he was at it.

Left with Tazuna and Tsunami, however, Kakashi knew the time had come for a decision to be made. Noticing that both men needed to talk, Tsunami softly excused herself and made for the kitchen, under the excuse that she needed to wash the dishes.

She carried away none with her.

Left to themselves, Tazuna and Kakashi remained silent, though Kakashi was soon aware that virtually everyone who was _not_ in the immediate room seemed to be trying to eavesdrop while trying to remain hidden.

As if they could hide from him.

"Kakashi-san..." Tazuna broke the silence at last, obviously unable to restrain himself any further from asking. "I have to ask. Did you make a decision?"

The look on the man's face told Kakashi everything. The man was an open book right now. Despair, resignation, fear...it was all right there, for everyone to see. And unlike many double-crossing clients, Tazuna was utterly sincere with him right now.

"...I have," Kakashi answered after a pregnant pause. "But first, I want you to answer something for me."

Tazuna sighed. "I suppose you've earned that right."

Kakashi leaned forward on the table and fixed him with a casual look. "Is your daughter single?"

Tazuna blinked. "What?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I figured I'd ask, since it seems we'll be staying here a while. Might as well get to know her and all."

Shock, fury, and then relief cycled through Tazuna's face as he processed Kakashi's words. "You mean...?"

Kakashi sighed before nodding. "Yeah," he confirmed. "You might've lied to us, Tazuna-san, but you also had no choice. And I left you here, I don't think I'd like myself very much." he noted, thinking back on his dead teammates from his youth. Obito hadn't left anyone behind, either, and he'd have hated Kakashi for leaving people behind who were in need. So would Rin.

That memory caused a painful pang in his heart.

Tazuna chuckled incredulously, slowly building up to outright laughter as he barely believed his own good fortune. All around the house, Kakashi's finely tuned hearing caught the whoops of joy from the rest of his team, and a relieved sigh from Tsunami. Without warning, however, Tazuna launched himself at Kakashi and hugged the man, completely uncaring of how "unmanly" that might've been.

"Thank you, Kakashi-san," Tazuna said earnestly, before he suddenly began squishing the man with every ounce of strength his years of carpentry had given him. Kakashi started to sweat nervously as the man's hug turned from grateful to painful. "But if you touch my daughter, I _will_ kill you. Got it?"

Kakashi chuckled nervously.

"Got it."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Zabuza Hideout, Same Day...<strong>_

"Unacceptable."

Zabuza growled angrily as Haku offered him a prognosis for his recovery. The fight with the redheaded female had hurt him far more than he'd expected...though, to be honest, he hadn't been expecting a weapon summoning shinobi. Ever.

Haku stood by silently. "I'm afraid that's reality, Zabuza-san." The words were spoken softly, but no less sternly for it. "You'll need _at least_ two weeks of rest to deal with the damage you've received."

Zabuza growled again. Of all the road bumps to have hit in his grand plan to have another go at the Mizukage...!

"What of Meizu? And Gozu?" he asked, briefly remembering he actually had _three_ subordinates. "Are they able to fight again?"

"Do you _want_ them to?"

Haku had a point. The Demon Brothers were obviously little match for either Kakashi or the redheaded woman with the weapon summons. The other one, too, seemed more than a match for both. Only the Genin really had anything to worry about, if they met the two in battle.

"Fair point." he grunted. "Even so, they're good cannon fodder, and they're loyal. Get them back up to fighting ability. We might be able to use them to kill the old man while we take care of Kakashi and his cheerleader squad."

"I remind you that one of those cheerleaders put you in this condition, Zabuza-san," Haku reminded him sternly.

Zabuza growled irritably. He did _not_ need reminding of that fact. "Did the midget come by?" he asked in a sudden non-sequitur, eager to change subjects.

His partner nodded again. "He did, while you were passed out. He was quite displeased with our performance. Threatened to teach us a lesson if we failed again." Haku paused. "I may have sprained his arm when he tried to hit you."

Zabuza snorted in amusement. As if Gato's mercenaries could lay on hand on him, much less Haku. The ice using prodigy's abilities were so high that Zabuza had no doubts that given enough time, Haku would surpass him. Or already did.

"Fat little bastard," Zabuza grunted. "He'll get his, in time."

Haku nodded.

In fact, if Zabuza didn't need the toad's money so much, he'd have gutted the businessman the day they met, on principle alone.

"We're going to need intel," he informed his subordinate, who, once again, simply nodded in acquiescence. He really wished Haku would talk a bit more, sometimes. It made it incredibly tiresome to be the sole voice of a conversation. "I want you to scout out the enemy. No doubt they're sticking to the old man's house. Figure out their weaknesses, then return to me."

Haku bowed. "As you wish, Zabuza-san."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Post-AN: <strong>Going to try and head off a few critiques:_

_1. Why was there not more Naruto POVs? Simply put, because he didn't fight. Then, with regards to the Tazuna revelations scene, the dynamics and situation have changed from the original canon, so the Genin were excluded this time around, so you only got to see his reaction to the revelations after being told, off screen, by Hinata._

_2. Why didn't I write the Inari bits that were so iconic in canon? Because the only really iconic scenes were when Naruto finds out the kid's lost his dad, and when he shows Inari heroes do exist. Naruto here has found out about Inari having lost his dad via Hinata's eavesdropping, and the hero part isn't here yet. Plus, I really, **really** don't like writing tantrums._

_3. Why didn't Naruto fight? Because that'll happen over Kimiko's dead body, right now. She doesn't trust him enough to handle himself, and Hikari's prone to agreeing right now. During the two weeks of rest, however, this may change._

_Now then, for the 1 BILLION DOLLAR question:_

_What is Haku's gender? Short answer? Dunno. I'm toying with that. **Really** toying with that. There's good reasons to make him/her male **or** female, so I'm having a hard time deciding. Whatever it is, don't expect him/her to take center stage from here on out or hump the living crap of Naruto or whatever female he/she takes a liking to. I might just make a poll out of this, so stay tuned._

_Cheers,_

_MB_

_PS: Screw it. Poll's going up, so listen up! Haku: Boobs or no boobs? Help a guy out here!_


	14. Wave Arc: Bridging the Gap

_**AN: **Rejoice, masses! Another chapter of Legacy!...without an insane time gap between the two! Yay!_

_That being said, the poll is now closed, and I've taken into account your opinions. There were many good arguments for, against, for weird situations, and so forth. All good ideas, but I'm going to go with one in particular. As such, I am now announcing that the subject of Haku **will** deviate from Canon. You've been warned._

_Also. Not many of you may know, but one of the reasons I do so well in Emperor is an awesome beta/idea wall who helps me with the small details, suggestions, and so forth. I am thus also announcing that I'm looking for a beta for **this** story, in order to raise the quality a bit more, as I often end up writing these chapters feeling like I could've done a lot more, but never really manage to...you know, **get **what I missed.  
><em>

_Anyway, enjoy!_

_MB_

* * *

><p><em>Last Time...<em>

_The Wave Arc has begun! Tazuna, escorted by Naruto, Hinata, Kiba, Kakashi, Kimiko, and Hikari, is being brought back to the Land of Waves, but the (non-sexual) tension between Kimiko and Kakashi has caused significant friction between the two, though as time passed, they have grown more tolerant of each other. However, almost at the end of their voyage, the group was ambushed by Zabuza and his entire crew, prompting a fight that left Kimiko and Zabuza injured. Now resting at Tazuna's home, the group prepares for their inevitable rematch with Zabuza. _

* * *

><p>"Alright, kiddies," Kakashi announced the next day, standing in the middle of Tazuna's backyard along with his team, "Seeing as how we're sticking around to <em>try<em> and keep our client and his bridge in one piece, and ourselves _alive_, it's time to step up your game a bit."

All three Genin looked at him in some concern at his wording.

Kakashi ignored them. "Normally, I'd have you tree walk," he told them honestly. "As it is, however, I understand you've all been working on that during your free time," he remarked, glancing over at Kimiko, who sat on the porch, watching the group while she rested in her futon.

It'd taken a hell of a verbal fight between her and Kakashi, but in the end, the redheaded woman had put her foot down and declared that they either helped her move to the porch to watch over her future Clan Head, or she was going to crawl her way there. Due to the fact that Kakashi knew they'd probably need her help during the inevitable fight with Zabuza, he'd acquiesced and, with Hikari's help, aided the wounded woman onto the porch, where she could "keep an eye" on Naruto.

Not that she'd be any help in a fight, in her given condition.

Still, it meant a hell of a lot less arguing, so that was reason enough.

"So instead, we're going to focus on the fight with Zabuza," he informed them sternly, clapping shut his Icha Icha book and tucking it away. Looking at all three, he saw them giving him the toughest look they could — or rather, confident look, in Hinata's case — and while he felt somewhat moved, he knew he had to nip that overconfidence in the bud. "Because let's face it, at this time? You're all dead."

The tough looks dissipated, and Hinata looked about to have a fit. Maybe that worked a little too well?

"You all saw Zabuza," he reminded them. "He fought Kimiko-san to a standstill, but he was also at a disadvantage. That's not something he's going to repeat. On even ground, I might have trouble dealing with him myself," he told them rather humbly. Not that he thought it humble, however; as a shinobi, you had to accept that as strong as you were, the cheapest or luckiest shot was all it took to bring you down, and that was an acceptable tactic.

If people wanted to fight fair, they joined the samurai.

"With that in mind, I think a little hands-on combat training is in order," he informed them, sliding into a ready stance, one clawed hand by his waist, the other stretched out and facing the Genin. "With any luck, you won't need it if we meet Zabuza again. However, just in case, we'll be working on Taijutsu. Kiba, you first."

Hesitating only a fraction of a second, the feral boy nodded, growled, and launched himself at Kakashi, who easily beat away each one of the boy's attacks. Naruto, well used to this sort of physical beatdown, noticed that Kakashi was greatly holding back, and was, in fact, using completely minimalist movements. Takeshi would've been awed.

"Your clan relies on aggressive tactics going for the headlong attack at full strength," Kakashi observed as he batted away each one of the Inuzuka boy's attacks. "It makes for great offensive potential..." he remarked, before spinning out of the way of another attack and swiping the boy's legs from under him.

As Kiba fell, Kakashi spun back to his original position and brought a clawed hand down towards Kiba's chest, stopping only inches away from the laid-out boy's chest.

"...but it's worthless if your offensive strength is less than the opponent's defense," he noted before changing his clawed hand into an offer of help getting up, which the Inuzuka boy reluctantly accepted as he got back to his feet, grumbling at his total defeat. Kakashi seemed to smile at this as he patted the boy on the head. "Try being more flexible. Attack when you actually have an opening. Retreat when you're too invested. Find ways _around_ an opponent's skills, not _through_ them."

Letting Kiba rejoin his team, Kakashi motioned at Hinata to get ready. The girl had less than a second to stutter and hyperventilate before Kakashi was on her, striking at what would've been lethal spots with short, pinpoint manoeuvers that would've put the Hyuuga's Juuken to shame. Naturally, he kept his hits light and soft, providing the girl with little more than embarassment as she constantly retreated, throwing the errant Juuken strike here and there.

"Of course, the same goes for clans who rely on defense," he noted idly as Hinata finally jumped away, beet red and feeling humiliated. "Playing it safe is well and good, but it's also worthless if you get overwhelmed by an opponent's offensive strength."

Again, he patted his pupil's head comfortingly. "Don't worry, you're still young," he told her earnestly before walking back to his original spot and looking at all three Genin, his gaze stopping on Naruto, the sole member of the team he hadn't humiliated.

"Be creative. Be sneaky. I don't want you shouting where you are before you strike. And for crying out loud, don't gloat," he told them, deadpanning. Back on the porch, even Kimiko nodded at this pronouncement. "I can't count the amount of idiots I've met who've shouted their techniques when there was no need to. Sure, Kuchiyose and some sealing techniques require an oral component, but if you can avoid letting your opponent know what you're going to do, then he can't really prepare for it unless he's seen it before. Understand?"

"Yes, sensei!" all three Genin shouted.

Kakashi nodded, eyeing Kiba and Hinata. "You two will be practicing with me," he informed them before eyeing Naruto, who seemed a little downtrodden at being left out. "Naruto, Hikari-san said she wanted to take over your Taijutsu training here, under Kimiko-san's supervision. I've agreed to this request," he informed the Genin, though he failed to elaborate _why_.

Naruto was predictably confused. He wasn't _so_ dense as to fail to pick up on the tension between Kakashi and his clan. And the way he and Kimiko had been at each other's throats throughout the trip, it was clear that he disagreed with the interference of his clan in his training. So why was he allowing it now?

"I...understand, sensei," he agreed, still wary of this sudden heel turn.

Kakashi nodded at him, offering him an apologetic look, at the very least, before looking back at his two other students. "You two," he stated. "We'll be sparring non-stop for a whole hour. You have that long to land a single blow to my face. If you can't, tomorrow it's two hours. Understood?"

Kiba and Hinata swallowed nervously at the training regimen being offered, but nodded. "Yes, sensei," their agreement, this time, was much less enthusiastic.

Kakashi nodded before shooting Naruto, then Kimiko a look. "I understand Hikari-san wants you to meet her by the beach, Naruto. Go on, then." he said kindly.

Naruto eyed his two comrades one last time, taking in their rather visible nerves at having to fight Kakashi for a whole hour, before nodding at his teacher. "Alright," he agreed before nodding to Kiba and Hinata. "I guess I'll see you two later!" he said, much of his enthusiasm depleted after learning he wouldn't be training with his friends.

Watching Naruto leave, Kakashi sighed as he slid into a combat stance again, this one different from the previous one. He'd wanted Naruto to train with Kiba and Hinata — he thought it important for the boy to bond and train with his team. However, Kimiko and Hikari had both made a convincing case that he also was further ahead, Taijutsu-wise, than both, and his progress would be minimal, in comparison. While he regularly tied with Kiba, Naruto was far more clever and cunning by nature, meaning he was less tied down to the dogma of a particular fighting style and thus, more versatile.

As such, he would likely benefit more from fighting someone as erratic as a fellow Uzumaki.

It wasn't ideal, but considering their current circumstances, he had to agree that it was probably for the best.

* * *

><p>Naruto found Hikari, alright, but not on the beach.<p>

She was on the _water_.

Naruto looked at his cousin, askance, as she sat in a lotus pose on top of the ocean water, looking no worse for wear as the waves rolled under her. Her eyes were closed, her outfit no worse for wear, and she seemed perfectly at peace as she appeared to meditate.

He'd never seen her like this.

He was no stranger to water walking, of course. Iruka could water walk. Virtually every Chunin and Jounin could water-walk. Heck, he doubted anyone could become more than a Genin if that skill wasn't particularly mastered.

However, it was definitely the first time he'd seen someone _sit_ on water.

"Oi, Hikari-chan!" he called out to her, waving.

Lesser shinobi might have broken their concentration and fallen right into the water. However, years of training under Keisuke and the other, older shinobi of the Uzumaki Clan had instilled a very well honed mental discipline in the girl, as befitting of an Uzumaki sealer.

She just often chose not to exercise it.

Naruto watched her calmly open her eyes, take notice of him, and then _push_ herself back onto her feet, landing softly on the water, not a drop or splash to be seen.

"Good, you're here," she said with a grin as she walked over.

"What was that?" he asked her, motioning towards the water.

Hikari hummed with a sly smile. "Hmm? Oh, that's something the old man teaches you when you start into the sealing arts," she told him before ruffling his hair. "You're not there yet, though."

Naruto grumbled at being treated like a little kid, but accepted the familial gesture with great joy in his heart. It wasn't so long ago that he'd been living on his own, and this sort of gesture would only come from Iruka, and maybe the Hokage. To know he had a clan to rely on — no, a _family_ — warmed his heart.

"When will I be?" he asked, grinning right back.

Hikari laughed before raising her fist for him to bump. A little disconcerted at the move, it took him a second for him to understand her meaning and then bump fists with her, prompting another laugh.

"In time, shrimp," she said smilingly. "For now, let's try to get you in shape to survive this mess, yeah?"

Naruto nodded, eager to start training, despite a pang of loneliness reminding him that he was training without his friends. "Hell yeah!" he exclaimed, punching up into the air. "Where do we start? Sparring? Jutsu?"

Hikari merely smiled, grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt, and flung the surprised boy straight into the ocean water, grinning as he yelled out in surprise before making a large splash as he landed.

"Water-walking," she announced as he resurfaced, sputtering obscenities.

"What?!" he cried out, dismayed as he swam back to shore. "Why the hell is _that_ important?"

Hikari raised an eyebrow. "You questioning me, shrimp?"

"Hell yeah I a—" he started, only to gasp out for air as Hikari's sandal slammed into his solar plexus, launching him back into the water.

For a moment, Naruto thought he'd drown, but then remembered to hold his breath as he swam back up to the surface, only to belatedly realize that Hikari had moved from the shore and onto the water, already swinging her foot at his head. Eyes widening, he quickly dove under the attack and went for her remaining foot, only to miss as she jumped right up, unhindered by the fact that she was effectively fighting him _on water_.

As he resurfaced, he barely had time to gasp for much-needed air before he caught sight of Hikari about to hammer kick him back under. Preempting her, he dove again, this time going for the shore. If he could just reach shore, he'd teach his cousin a thing or two about sucker-punching him!

He never got there.

As he was about to reach the shallow area of the beach, he was suddenly pulled out of the water, swearing in surprise as he felt himself being hoisted up high, Hikari's frowning face greeting him.

"_That's_ why it's important," she told him seriously.

"Because you're a psychopath?" he grouched at her, feeling a little humiliated by the ease with which she'd beaten him up and kept him running about. If only they'd been on land...

"Because _you_ can't water walk," she corrected him, still keeping him hoisted up to eye level. "Those shinobi we fought were former Kirigakure members, Naruto," she reminded him. "That means that water is their domain. Their kingdom. We're on an island, and you're here to supervise the building of a bridge."

Slowly, it dawned on Naruto what she was driving at, prompting him to lower his gaze, a little ashamed with the way he'd acted.

Hikari nodded. "That's right. Water. You'll be fighting with it literally _surrounding_ you. If you stay the way you are, all those Kiri nins have to do is push you off the bridge, and you're out of the fight. Is that what you want?" she asked him firmly.

"No..." he admitted a little reluctantly. His expression turned quizzical. "But then, why aren't Kiba and Hinata-chan here, too?"

Hikari made a face. "Right now, they're not ready for this next stage," she admitted as she carried her clansman back to shore and set him down. "Their fighting styles are too restrictive. Kakashi said they needed to get past that before he made them water-walk."

"But if they worked together..."

"Then all the enemy has to do is knock one of them out and the other's done for," Hikari interrupted him, sounding as though she'd stated this fact time after time. "At the very least, Kakashi, Kimiko-nee, and I all agree on that. The Uzumaki philosophy of combat is to be well rounded; their clan philosophies is to focus."

Naruto looked disappointed by that, but accepted his cousin's explanation without much more fuss. The truth was, most of his protests were based around the idea that he didn't like being separated from his friends, especially not during training sessions, as they'd all grown so used to being with each other and helping one another.

Training alone, then, was...odd. Bizarre. Uncomfortable.

Hikari must've picked up on his growing sullenness, because she shoved him towards the water's edge. Looking back at her, he saw her smiling encouragingly. "Go ahead, give it a shot. You know surface walking, right?" he nodded. "Good. Same principle, but unlike walking up solid surfaces, you're going to need to..."

Hikari drifted off as she saw his stare turn blank. Apparently, she'd lost him. Sighing, she palmed her forehead and gave him a tolerant smile as she crossed her arms under her breasts. "Alright, let's try putting it like this," she tried, thinking that perhaps it was best to treat Naruto as she would Natsu...at least, in terms of learning abstract concepts.

"Have you ever balanced yourself on a rope?" she asked. He nodded again, this time following her. She smiled wider. "Alright. How did you do?"

He frowned and looked away. "Mostly, I fell into the water," he admitted, recalling the unpleasant experience at the Academy.

Hikari repressed a snort. "And those times you didn't fall in?" she asked. "How did you do that?"

Naruto shifted from one foot to another, almost unconsciously showing her, rather than telling her. "I...uh...did this," he explained after a few moves.

Hikari nodded. "You balanced yourself. You put your weight in the opposite direction of where you were falling. Water-walking is similar," she informed him before pointing down at her feet and walking onto the ocean water.

Knowing he was still looking at her, she motioned at the water around them. "But water isn't like a solid surface, Naruto," she reminded him. "It moves, it changes. So how do you use your chakra to stay above that which changes?" she asked him pointedly, hoping he'd follow her train of thought and exercise his mind, which was woefully underused. He wasn't stupid, of course, but years of academic neglect meant he was slower on the uptake than his comrades. That was one thing she hoped to help rectify, even if it took years of work.

Naruto scrunched his face, cupped his chin, and thought about it. Hikari had told him that balancing on a rope was similar to water walking, and that the water changed. How did they connect?

It took him a moment, but the idea steadily grew in his mind, until he grinned as he realized what she was driving at. Pointing at her excitedly, he declared, "Change!"

Hikari snorted. Not exactly the declaration she was hoping for, but close enough. "Right," she confirmed. "Change. When you're walking up a tree, or a wall, they don't change, so the amount of chakra you need doesn't either. But water...water changes, and so must your chakra. Sometimes more, sometimes less," she lectured. "Sometimes a little to the left, sometimes a little to the right."

"It's chakra control," she concluded, smiling at him as she walked back and patting him on the head. "It might take a bit, but I trust ya, kiddo." she told him. "Go ahead now and try."

Naruto nodded and scampered off to the water, wading in until he was shin-high in it. Then, scrunching his face, he brought his hands together and concentrated, pouring as much chakra into his feet as he could.

In an instant, Naruto's felt himself pulled up as his entire body blasted out of the water, prompting the boy to yelp in surprise and scream as he started his downward trajectory, straight into a deeper area of the water.

Hikari laughed as she watched the spectacle, doubling over and causing her long, red hair to shroud her face and her shoulders shook from mirth. When Naruto resurfaced, she was still laughing.

"Not funny," he muttered as he swam back to his initial spot.

"Yeah, it was," Hikari taunted him with a grin as she wiped away a mirthful tear. "Oh...anyway, too much chakra," she informed him with a grin.

Naruto glowered at her and again, closed his eyes and concentrated. This time, however, nothing happened.

"Too little!" Hikari sang.

"Shut up!" he snapped, his right eyebrow twitching as he concentrated a little more. This time, his left leg began rising, but the right one stayed planted on the ocean floor.

"More balance!"

If looks could kill, Hikari would've been ashes.

Two hours later, Hikari was still flinging commentary at him, and Naruto was still having trouble maintaining balance for more than a second.

"Oooh!" Hikari mock exclaimed, holding up a fist near her mouth as though she were a media presenter. "Brave attempt by the contestant, but no dice! It seems he's still unable to accomplish even the simplest thi—!" she easily dodged the thrown kunai.

"_Shut. Up!_" Naruto shouted at her, clearly getting more pissed off by the second at his inability to even reach the surface successfully.

"Lunch!" someone — Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami — shouted from the edge of her property, waving at them.

Hikari flashed the woman a thumbs-up sign and then eyed Naruto. "Alright, shrimp, time to call it quits for now," she told him, deftly grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt as he tried to dart right for the house. "_Buuuuut_," she quickly added, giving him a rather menacing smile. "After lunch, we're coming right back. Kimiko-nee said I could train you till dinner, and then you're _hers_."

Naruto swallowed. Somehow, as tiresome as Hikari's training was already being, he could guess that whatever it is that Kimiko had in mind for him would leave him beat.

Well, no one said being shinobi was going to be easy, right?

* * *

><p><em><strong>Tazuna's Home, Evening...<strong>_

"Seals?"

Kimiko nodded at all three Genin sitting in front of her, all of them pointedly ignoring the bandages and the fact that she was still sitting amongst the covers of her futon. Kakashi and Hikari had insisted she carry through with the teaching of seals, but they'd also refused to let her leave the confines of her futon.

And as she was somewhat injured, relying on her summoned weapons to threaten them to back down wasn't really an option.

"Yes," she spoke curtly, placing her hands in a modest pose over her lap. "Young as you are, advanced techniques will be of little use to you at this juncture," she continued, as blunt as ever. "And while I have little hope for Hatake's ability to raise your fighting abilities, I do believe you can benefit from the art of sealing."

Hinata glanced at her two teammates, glad to have the team back together, and then slowly raised a hand, rightly fearing that Kimiko might snap at her.

"Hyuuga-san," Kimiko acknowledged her calmly. Naruto let out a sigh he didn't know he'd carried; at least Kimiko was _trying_ to be polite.

"Um..." the girl stammered. "I-isn't...uh...a-aren't seals a c-clan secret f-for you?" she asked.

Kimiko was silent. Then, she raised her head and opened her eyes, looking straight at Hinata. "Many, yes," she agreed, giving her a brief nod of respect for bringing up one reason she was so reluctant to teach anything about sealing to _anyone_ except Naruto. "But the basics are widely known and practiced, which is what Hatake and Hikari-san want," she explained.

Hinata nodded and slowly lowered her hand. Kiba sighed in relief; he'd been harbouring the same doubts as Hinata about being made to listen to another clan's secrets. As powerful as it could make them, the truth was that one of the reasons Konoha worked was because they _weren't_ all trying to backstab each other for their clan secrets. And if he was taught, he was clan-bound to teach his family what he knew, and that would set off a chain of events he'd much rather not linger on.

"So..." Naruto spoke up. "We going to need brushes or something?"

Kimiko frowned at her future Clan Head. It took some effort to remember that Keisuke-choro hadn't begun his tutoring in the sealing arts yet. In essence, she was preempting even her clan elder. She would surely be scolded for it, too, if she didn't do things properly.

As such, she shook her head and collected herself. "No," she answered him directly. "Performing a seal will, in time, require such materials, but you are not even close to that level. None of you are," she stated, expanding her reproach to the whole group, as she felt uncomfortable scolding her future Clan Head.

"Sealing is a dangerous and powerful art," she explained calmly, taking great pains to make significant eye contact with all three Genin. "It can do anything from helping you carry great loads, or summon titanic companions to help you fight. As such, it is an art that must be respected, and carefully learned. Even the slightest mistake can cost one's life."

She looked to Naruto. "You have undoubtedly heard of one such case, Naruto-sama," she reminded him.

Naruto's gaze turned blank for a moment, before the memory came to him. "Honoka..." he said the name softly. He'd never met the Uzumaki clansman, but he remembered how Hikari and the others in the Advance Guard had looked devastated by the news of her death.

Kimiko nodded. "Yes," she confirmed. "And many others who've given their life to the research of new sealing techniques, or have simply made a mistake," she added. She was pleased when she saw the Genin pale a shade. Good. Overconfidence resulted in more deaths in sealing than she liked to admit.

"So...uh..." Kiba started, unsure how to act around the very pretty Uzumaki woman. More than just being good eye candy, he knew from her fight with Zabuza that she could likely crush him with barely any effort. "How _do_ we start learning seals?"

Kimiko fixed the Inuzuka boy with a stare before turning her gaze on Hinata. "Through observation," she stated simply before nodding at Hinata. "Hyuuga-san, please activate your bloodline."

Hinata squeaked at being singled out, but complied after exchanging reassuring looks with Naruto and Kiba. Both boys knew that the girl's crippling insecurities had nearly gotten her killed in the last fight, so they'd agreed to show her more support.

"U...Un!" she grunted softly, as her bloodline activated, prompting the ocular veins to bulge on her face. Naruto and Kiba respectfully watched in silence, knowing that the girl had many self-image issues based on the "ugliness" of her bloodline. Compared to Sakura and Ino, who had no techniques that caused them to deface themselves, Hinata had always thought herself less pretty than she actually was. Of course, such considerations only really ever arose whenever she was in close proximity to her crush. Otherwise, her attention was rather more focused at her perceived lack of shinobi skills.

Kimiko nodded, also rather uncaring of the girl's bulging veins. "Please observe my chakra system, Hyuuga-san, and inform your team of what you see," she prompted.

Hinata swallowed as she focused on Kimiko, somehow feeling less intimidated by the woman now that she was basically a collection of chakra coils. There was no emotion, no superficial beauty...just the coils. "It's...a normal chakra system," she reported softly.

Kimiko nodded. "Yes. Now, watch as I perform a simple seal," she ordered as she pulled out a small sealing scroll and laid it out on the floor. Then, flipping through three hand seals, she finished on Rat. "_Fuin!_" she chanted. "_Hikari fuin!_"

Immediately, a burst of light washed over the room, illuminating it better than any candle ever could. To Naruto and his teammates, it was as though daylight had suddenly decided to invade the room, and both boys yelped as their eyes were overloaded. Only Hinata, whose bloodline currently made her immune to the effect, remained unharmed, though she, too, was surprised by what she saw.

"Nothing," she reported, confused. She hadn't even become aware that all traces of her shyness had completely left her.

"Precisely," Kimiko confirmed as she watched the boys settle back down, still somewhat whimpering — a little too much, in her opinion — at having been blinded by the Light Seal. "Can any of you tell me why that's possible?"

The Genin exchanged glances at the question. The truth was, none of them had any real idea. However, Hinata, in a rare show of courage, slowly raised her hand. Kimiko nodded at her in acknowledgement.

"Hyuuga-san."

"The chakra...came from the seal?" she half-asked, half-answered.

Kimiko nodded, prompting a pleased blush from the shy girl. "Precisely," she confirmed as she looked, somewhat disappointed, at the two boys. "What Hyuuga-san has observed is one of the sealing arts most important benefits: virtually no loss of chakra during activation," she stated. "While chakra may be used up while creating the seals themselves, activation merely requires an insignificant amount of chakra to start the seal's internal processes."

Both boys looked at her blankly. She'd lost them. Feeling a little annoyed at this, she was about to rebuke them firmly for their apparent lack of intelligence when Hinata quickly intervened, having recognized the redheaded woman's irritated body language.

"It's like pushing a ball down the hill," she explained to her team. Her teammates quickly widened their eyes in realization.

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed, finally getting it, before tilting his head slightly. "Why didn't she say it like that to begin with?"

"Apparently, I may have overestimated your level of education," Kimiko mumbled under her breath before raising her head again and staring down the three Genin. "In any case, Hyuuga-san is correct."

She watched as Kiba and Naruto both offered the Hyuuga heiress earnest compliments on being smarter than both of them. As expected, however, the girl merely ducked her head shyly and blushed like a ripe tomato. Kimiko frowned.

Perhaps trying to involve them in the fighting was a bad idea after all. The Kiri nin had shown exceptional teamwork, as well as cunning. And while she knew that Hikari was trying to teach Naruto water-walking, and Hatake was focusing on the fighting skills of the other two Genin, she didn't share their optimism regarding the Genin's chances in a real fight against the missing-nins.

Hell, it irked her to even be stuck doing this. Her plans had been completely derailed. Once they'd arrived in Wave, she'd been planning to use the night to duck out of the bridge builder's home and investigate the country, as Keisuke and Heiyako had asked. As it was, however, she was stuck in this piddling home, resting from a rather humiliating wound.

A wound that, granted, didn't impair her ability to walk, but would affect her ability to fight, if ambushed by the Kiri shinobi.

In other words, an unacceptable wound.

A cough from Kiba caught her attention, and she noticed she'd lost herself in her thoughts, while the Genin waited for her to resume her lesson. Clearing her throat, she resumed her lecture. "However, despite this advantage, seals have two significant weaknesses: because they rely on an internal chakra reserve to work, that means they must be pre-made, or made on the fly, which could drain a combatant...a fighter," she corrected herself as she watched Naruto and Kiba blank out, piquing her irritability, "of vital chakra. Furthermore, seals are typically of single-use. As such, seal users, like myself and Hikari-san, usually arrive to battle carrying numerous seals on ourselves."

"Like your kickass jutsu, Kimiko-nee?!" Naruto asked explosively, practically shooting to his feet as he asked the question excitedly.

Kimiko frowned at him. "My summoning technique is...different," she told him. "Please sit down, Naruto-sama," she then admonished him, prompting the boy to plop back onto the floor, disappointed. "It is based on seals, yes, but they are of my own design."

She looked away then. "And forbidden from being replicated by order of our Clan Elders," she added, sounding a little ashamed, despite herself.

"Why's that?" Kiba asked rather bluntly, forgetting himself. Kimiko's hard stare, however, quickly shut the boy up.

"That is not the topic of this lecture," she told the trio curtly. "Rather, let us begin with our first practice."

Whatever excitement lit up in the Genin's eyes was quickly dissolved when she then elaborated, "Meditation."

Almost in unison, the trio's shoulders sagged. Kimiko frowned, forcing herself to hold down her annoyance and not lunge and strangle them. All three should be honored to even _have_ this lesson, considering how few shinobi ever bothered to learn sealing, or master it. To a seasoned sealer, almost nothing was impossible.

"You cannot be expected to be trusted with an art as dangerous as sealing as you are," she admonished them, prompting a flinch from the Genin. "You are undisciplined, emotionally driven. Sealing requires restraint."

None of the Genin dared to point out that she'd been rather emotional in her fight with the Kiri nins. Or that the Uzumaki, as a whole, seemed rather rambunctious for that to be true. By mutual, silent understanding, they all knew that bringing such a thing up would likely mean they'd never see a sunrise ever again.

Yes, even Naruto.

Kimiko nodded, taking their silence for acknowledgement of her words. "Good," she stated, retaining her poise and calm. "Please sit in a lotus poise, remain silent, and clear your minds."

"For how long?" Naruto asked, dreading this exercise already. Sitting still had never been his strong suit. Much less being quiet. Or patient.

Kimiko stared at him for a moment. For a moment, Kiba wondered if she was trying to set Naruto on fire with the power of her mind.

"For as long as it takes, Naruto-sama."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Meanwhile...<strong>_

"Odd," Kakashi noted, amused, as he stared up at the ceiling of the living room. "I don't hear the kids anymore."

Hikari snickered as she flipped a page from her book — an anthology of folk tales from Uzushio, which she prized above all of her other books. "Knowing Kimiko-nee, she's probably putting them through meditative practice." she mused. "Cruel, cruel."

Kakashi lazily swung his gaze over to the younger girl. "Meditation?" he asked, curious, before returning his gaze to his own book.

Hikari shrugged. "Keisuke-sama always swore by it when he taught us sealing," she informed the cyclopedean ninja. "Said it gave us discipline and inner strength."

"But..." Kakashi prompted, already guessing where the young woman was going with this.

"But most of our clan couldn't sit still if you paid them, so he usually went on to teach us seals after the first few lessons," she recalled fondly. She remembered smacking Natsu more than once during such practices, usually because the boy kept trying to break her concentration.

Which, in hindsight, she had to admit, he'd succeeded in doing quite often.

"Think Kimiko-san will be the same?" Kakashi asked her.

Hikari snorted. "As if. She's the only one who actually succeeded her meditation practice." Hikari told him, flipping another page, as her legs swung up and down while she read. "As far as she's concerned, the rest of us are all lazy asses."

Kakashi chuckled nervously. Perhaps pushing the cold redhead to teach his team seals had been a miscalculation. "Maybe you should take over, then?" he suggested.

Hikari snorted again. "_Hell no_," she declined flatly and without any hesitation whatsoever. "Teach those brats? I'm going nuts just trying to teach Naruto-sama _water_ _walking_!"

Kakashi stared at her, already starting to regret letting her get her hands on Naruto. Maybe it was time to bring the team back together, and shove these crazy women out?

Then, after a moment, she stopped her kicking and turned her head towards him, staring him down with a smile. "Kimiko's better than most of us Uzumaki in seals, except maybe for Eiji and Maki. They're in good hands. Besides, for all that rough exterior, she's a good teacher, when she puts her mind to it."

"Speaking from experience?" Kakashi asked, feeling a _little_ reassured, he supposed.

Hikari smiled. "Yeah," she said softly, remembering how Kimiko had often taken the time to correct her younger clansmen whenever she saw them doing something wrong. She always acted like it was a duty more than a favour, but the results spoke for themselves.

Then again, she also tended to beat them down like she carried a grudge against them whenever they sparred. Apparently, she also didn't know the meaning of _holding back._

More than a few clansmen had the scars to prove it.

A nearby sound caught their attention then. Hikari flew to her feet, hand already lifting part of her skirt hem to draw a kunai before she stopped to listen more carefully. To Hikari's ears, it sounded much like a pigeon, prompting her to roll her eyes at her own impatience and sheathe the kunai she'd been drawing. Kakashi, however, seemed wholly unconcerned, and promptly got up from his spot and walked over to the window, which he slid open.

Standing on the external windowsill was a pigeon, just as Hikari had imagined.

"Konoha?" she asked, pulling the hem of her skirt back to a modest position. Kakashi snapped his fingers in disappointment. In his head, of course. He rather liked having genitalia.

He nodded as he untied the message from the carrier pigeon's leg and unrolled it. He read it through once, committing it to memory, before destroying it. "Confirmation of our orders," he informed her simply. He then reached into his pack for some pigeon food and gave it to the bird as a reward for a job well done. After it ate, it cooed and flew away.

"Confirmation?" Hikari asked, frowning. "I thought you said we were staying. You asked for confirmation?"

Kakashi eyed her for a moment. "Of course," he told her simply. "I don't know how it's been for you Uzumaki, but when a breach of protocol this big happens, we have to confirm it with the Hokage," he informed her. "Fortunately, he agreed with my assessment, and has given me broad, discretionary powers to see our mission through and renegotiate the terms of our arrangement with Tazuna once the mission is over."

Hikari's eyes flickered upwards, where the Genin and Kimiko would be. "And the kids?" she asked.

"Will be fine," Kakashi told her simply as he made for the stairs, ready to hit the sack. "Like I said, broad, discretionary powers," he reminded her, stopping in front of the stairs to shoot her a look over his shoulder. "That's code for 'whatever is necessary,' in case that wasn't clear."

Hikari frowned, staring at his back as he went up the stairs. She didn't like the sound of that. It made the Hokage's orders sound like a _carte blanche_ for Kakashi to proceed however he wanted; which, in her mind, was never a good idea, no matter who the person so empowered was.

Hikari sighed as she plopped back down on the floor, her book forgotten as it lay beside her. She pinched her nose and rubbed the bridge, a little tired from all the twists and turns this supposedly C-rank mission had taken.

"What are you doing here?"

The childish voice caught her offguard, prompting her to jump to her feet once more, her hand again reaching for her thigh-strapped kunai. She was about to skewer whoever spoke when she noticed Tsunami's son standing at the foot of the stairs, looking suddenly afraid of her.

She grimaced. Close call. She withdrew her hand and palmed her face. "Sorry about that," she apologized to the petrified kid. "Caught me a little off guard there...uh...Inari?" she tried to recall.

The boy nodded, prompting a relieved sigh from Hikari. Another embarassing moment, averted. She smiled at him then. "Aren't you up past your bedtime, kiddo?" she asked kindly.

Whatever fear the boy had felt quickly evaporated as he realized the girl wasn't about to kill him on the spot, which had brung up rather traumatic memories. Fuelled by them, he glowered at her. "Shut up!" he snapped, taking Hikari aback. "You're not my mom!"

Even shocked, however, Hikari didn't take sass from no kid. Placing her fists on her hips akimbo, she glowered right back. "Learn some manners, brat!" she retaliated in kind. "Didn't your mother teach you any?"

The boy grit his teeth and looked about ready to stomp away before freezing on the first step. He stood there a moment before glaring back at her. "Keep talking," he told her angrily, his small hands curling into fists. "You're all dead anyway. Everyone who goes up against Gato dies. That's just the way it is."

Hikari frowned. Whatever grudge the kid was holding was a pretty big one. And, seeing as how he seemed to have this sort of attitude, she couldn't rule out the possibility that he was a threat to Naruto and the others.

Time for some information.

Lightning-quick, she flipped through the appropriate hand signs before smiling at the boy's back as he tried to stomp up the stairs. "_Uzumaki Fuinjutsu!_" she stated softly, so as to not tip off the others in the house. "_Kosoku Fuin!_"

The Restraint Seal hadn't worked on Zabuza, who was far too experienced not to dodge, but Inari was no shinobi. With instants, he felt his body betray him as it froze in place. In another instant, Hikari was right behind him, catching him as he fell back into her arms, having lost his balance due to the jutsu.

He looked up at her, anger and fear all over his face. She retaliated with a knowing smirk that sent a chill down the kid's spine.

"Let's talk," she said simply.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Next Day...<strong>_

"An army of bandits?" Kakashi asked Hikari as both of them, plus Kimiko, watched the Genin spar in the backyard. Hikari had asked for Naruto to be given the day off from water-walking due to some other urgent business, which had prompted Kakashi to agree.

"The kid's seen them," Hikari informed her comrade. "They walk around this village, and the others, like they're kings. He's probably exaggerating about the amount but..."

"But until we know more, they could be an unfortunate variable in any upcoming fight," Kakashi concluded her line of thought, prompting an agreeing nod from Hikari.

Kimiko frowned. This was even worse than she'd expected, and merely served to fuel her desire to go out and explore, as her orders from the Elders asked of her. "I can go explore," she stated calmly.

Hikari sighed, having expected her to offer, while Kakashi shook his head. "You're wounded," he reminded her.

"Exactly," Kimiko stated. "I can pass off as one of these downtrodden people better than you could," she pointed out. Plus, she _really_ wanted to go out and explore, but she didn't say that. "And unless we get a somewhat accurate reading on Gato's forces, we could be blindsided at any moment."

"Hikari-san could..."

Kimiko cut off the Jonin. "Hikari-san is needed here, training Naruto-sama," she stated firmly. That much was actually true, too. She also wanted to avoid Hikari finding out where they actually were, as per Keisuke's orders. "And you need to have the Inuzuka and Hyuuga heirs get into shape for the fight."

Kakashi frowned, but couldn't deny that logic. "And Tazuna?" he asked. "He's insistent on resuming his work as soon as possible. We need you covering him."

"No, you don't," she insisted, frowning up at him. "You can train the Inuzuka and Hyuuga while on the bridge. We _need_ this information."

Hikari sighed despondently. "As much as I hate to admit it, she has a point," she pointed out to Kakashi, who frowned. Not just because Kimiko was winning this argument, but because she insisted on referring to Kiba and Hinata as the Inuzuka and Hyuuga.

"Fine," he conceded. "Try to make yourself less conspicuous, though. The last thing we need is for you to incite a fight well before we're ready," he advised. Kimiko looked about to snap back, but apparently decided against it, settling for merely frowning at him.

"Of course," she acceded tensely.

"I'll stick near the house with Naruto-sama," Hikari told Kakashi. "Just in case."

Kakashi nodded at the much more amiable of the two Uzumaki women. "Thank you."

"Oi, Kakashi!" Naruto called out to them at that moment, waving at them wildly. "We're kinda done! What now?"

The three older ninja shared a look before Kakashi sighed and stepped down onto the grass. He paused in his step, however, and turned to glance at the two women. "We start tomorrow, then," he told them. "Starting the plan now would raise suspicions amongst the townfolk." he then pointed at Hikari. "And you. Remember to apologize to Inari. His mom hasn't stopped frowning at us all morning for that little stunt you pulled."

Hikari grinned. "Oh, come on!" she protested half-heartedly. "I only scared the bejeezus out of him! It's not like I hurt him...much. Or even permanently. Or even physically."

Kakashi chuckled and waved back at her without care. She was right, of course; from the way Inari now evaded the group like the plague, he was fairly sure Hikari had just scared the crap out of him. Physical injuries would've seen them expelled from the house, no doubt.

"Yeah, but we're still the good guys."

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Evening...<strong>_

"They're definitely hiding something."

Hinata swallowed as Naruto finished his pronouncement, all three Genin settled in for the night in their room. Kiba, for his part, nodded, while Akamaru barked softly to show his own agreement.

"You caught it too, yeah?" Kiba agreed. "Whatever it is, I don't think it has to do with Zabuza, though. Did you see Tsunami-san's look today?"

Hinata nodded shyly in agreement. "S-She looked pretty mad," she agreed.

"And her kid, Inari...I think he has something to do with it," Naruto weighed in. "He hasn't been stalking us all day!"

"Not that that's a bad thing," Kiba noted with a smirk. "No more, 'wah! You suck!' and 'wah! You're all going to die!'" he mocked for a bit, causing Naruto to chuckle a bit before huffing indignantly. "Seriously. Talk about a mood killer."

"H-He's obviously suffered a lot," Hinata tried to admonish her teammate, but Naruto shook his head at her.

"So have I," he pointed out flatly, making sure to keep eye contact with her. Hinata had a kind heart, and while Naruto empathized with her wanting to empathize with the kid, he also knew that Inari had to man up already. Safe to say, his comment shut Hinata up immediately, turning beet red in shamed embarrassment.

Not exactly what he was aiming for.

"Sorry, Hinata, but I'm with goldilocks," Kiba stated gruffly as he rolled over onto his back, prompting an indignant yelp from Akamaru as the pup rolled off his back — and rested his head over his hands. "I get suffering. I get that. But Tazuna and Tsunami-chan also suffered, right? But they're trying to do something about it, while the brat's just...wallowing."

"He's just a child," Hinata protested bravely, despite her crush obviously feeling less understanding towards the young boy, hoping to make her teammates see reason. "We can't expect him to get over it so quickly..."

Naruto harrumphed, but didn't disagree with her. At least, not openly, which was good enough for the team. Silence descended on their room again, only broken every so often by the sound of crickets chirping outside.

The blonde knew that his teammates were half-expecting him to say something. That was his thing, after all — being the rallying cry of the team. During the fight with the Kiri shinobi, he'd managed to retain enough self-control as to take charge of the trio, even saving Hinata from Kimiko's area attack.

But right now, all he could think of was Inari, and that annoyed him.

Rather, the boy annoyed him. He wasn't quite sure why, though. He knew the kid was suffering — you had to be blind not to notice that. However, hadn't he, too, suffered? Perhaps to an even greater extent? Even so, even before his clan resurfaced, he'd managed. Maybe not ideally, but he'd managed. So why couldn't this kid do the same? Was he really that different?

A part of him did sympathize, sure. But even that sympathy had run its course when he began to realize just how long Inari had been wallowing in his grief.

Almost unconsciously, his hands went up to his sternum, where a small necklace — a gift from his cousin Akemi — lay and he grasped its marble token, carved into the shape of the Uzumaki Clan. A reminder, she'd told him, that he was no longer all alone.

It warmed his heart then, as it did now.

But having a Clan was different from having parents. Most his clansmen had their own families — even Keisuke had his grandson, Raiden. Only Hikari, Kimiko, and a handful of others, including Natsu and Takeshi, were orphans.

He grit his teeth, his grip on the token getting stronger. The truth was, he _did_ know what bothered him so much about Inari. The boy had his mother — a mother that genuinely cared and worried for him — and was forcing her to shoulder the burden of grieving _and_ caring for the family all by herself. The old man at least tried to fix things by going out and building his "super" bridge, but all Inari did was eat, sleep, and whine.

He glared up at the darkened ceiling. The wooden boards started to creak a bit as a faint gust of wind picked up. Even the house was, objectively speaking, in dire need of support. And that boy did nothing.

It pissed him off.

"Screw it," he grumbled, sitting up in his futon. He was well aware of his teammates eyeing him silently. "I can't sleep. Going out to train." he grunted as he stood up to go do just that.

"You're going to be dead tired tomorrow," Kiba warned him. "Just close your eyes and count to a thousand."

Naruto didn't turn to look back at his friends. "It doesn't bother either of you, even just a little?" he asked rhetorically, missing the exchanged looks between Hinata and Kiba. "Kakashi, Hikari-chan, Kimiko-chan, Tsunami-chan...hell, even the old man is doing his best to get us through this mission. And us? We're still acting like it's a field trip."

"We're Genin," Kiba pointed out unhelpfully.

Naruto's grasp on the Uzumaki token tightened until his knuckles paled. "We're shinobi. The adults can't fight Zabuza at their best if they have to worry about us," he countered, finally turning to look down at his teammates. "I don't know about you, but I want to prove to them that we can hold our own."

"The adults...or Inari?" Kiba asked perceptively.

Naruto looked away, staring at their room's only door. "Either. Both," he answered flatly. "I'll be back later."

Without another word said, Naruto strode out of the room, making sure to open and close the door as quietly as he could so as to not awaken anyone else in the house. Both of his teammates remained in the room, however, with Kiba staring up at the ceiling, then closing his eyes and sighing.

"Well, damn," Kiba growled as he scratched his head furiously. Akamaru whined in agreement, even as Kiba laid his arms spread eagle and glanced over at Hinata, then the door. "Now that idiot's got _me_ fired up."

Hinata smiled at her comrade. Kiba had a good heart, however gruff he tried to act.

Before long, both Genin were out the door as well, eager to catch up with their teammate.

And, watching diligently from the roof, Hikari smiled as she saw the team reunite on the beach, exchanging distant words before the two boys bumped fists, with Hinata nodding firmly along, and then wading into the water.

Hikari sighed contentedly. Good for them.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Post-AN<strong>: For those who haven't been paying attention:_

_Kosoku Fuin - Restraining Seal._

_Also, before the pitchforks come out: the use of clones in training hasn't come up yet for a reason. It's not that I've forgotten all about the fact that the Uzumaki have already discovered his advantage. Please be patient._

_Anyway, thank you all for your contribution to the polls! Hearing from all of you serves as great inspiration!_

_Cheers,_

_MB_


	15. Wave Arc: The Calm

_**AN: **Next Chapter! Woo! My thanks to Cookie for her help in betaing this chapter!_

_Also. Cookies are awesome._

_Anyway, enjoy!_

* * *

><p><em>Last time...<em>

_Team Kakashi may have made it to Wave, along with Uzumaki Kimiko and Uzumaki Hikari, but they aren't out of the woods yet! The threat of Zabuza remains, and the bridge must be built before they can claim victory. With the Hokage's permission, Kakashi and his cell prepare for the inevitable confrontation. Kiba and Hinata train to become better fighters, while Naruto remains under Hikari's supervision with Kakashi's permission. Amidst this, Kimiko begins her survey of Wave, but will she like what she's found?_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Wave<strong>__** Country, Tazuna's House, Two Days Later**__**...**_

SPLASH!

Hikari sighed as she watched Naruto fall back into the water, still having achieved little headway into water-walking. Not that she was particularly surprised, since water-walking at age 13 in just three days would be quite...impressive, but it still sort of frustrated her.

"Son of a—!" Naruto roared angrily as he resurfaced, wading back to the shallows. Before he could finish gearing up for his upcoming swearfest, however, he was beaned in the forehead by a small rock, causing him to stumble and fall into the water again.

"Language," Hikari chided him casually as he resurfaced.

"Damnit, _stop doing that_!" the blonde shouted irritably as he resumed his wading back to shore.

Hikari smirked. "Stop giving me a reason to."

Even though she maintained her bright attitude, however, Hikari knew this could be a problem. Zabuza was still lying low, sure, but at the same time, that wasn't meant to be a permanent situation. Eventually, the swordsman would return, and, as Kakashi had deduced, the most optimal battlefield for the missing-nin would probably the bridge proper.

If that held true, then that didn't exactly afford the Konoha Genin much margin for error. A single misstep, and they'd go headfirst into the water, effectively out of the fight.

Nor was abandoning the bridge and forcing Gato's minions to fight on land much of an option, either. As Kakashi once again pointed out, leaving the bridge unattended simply meant opening the door to outright, unhindered sabotage. All Gato would have to do is keep chipping away at the bridge and bleed out Tazuna's investors, until the bridge builder became a financial liability even for Konoha.

Still, she'd watched Naruto train with Kiba and Hinata during the night, and it was painfully obvious that he worked much better when he had comrades to lean on or support. Hikari sighed as she watched Naruto scrunch his face and try again, somehow managing to keep one foot half-submerged, while the other remained firmly on the seafloor.

If only there was a way to speed things up...

Or rather, if only the Hyuuga girl was around. Her Byakugan would certainly come in handy to tell Naruto when and how to balance things out. From the looks of it, that's exactly what her main role had been during the kids' nighttime practice sessions.

She briefly considered using altered chakra sealing seals to help him channel less chakra, but immediately dismissed the idea. Not only would Kimiko probably gut her for using such a seal to _weaken_ the future Clan Head...Maki and Eiji would probably join in, seeing as how it was strictly forbidden to alter such seals and use them on a human being without _extensive_ prior consultation and experimentation.

And then whatever was left of her would probably be grinded to dust by Keisuke.

"DAMNIT!"

Another splash, another quickly-halted swearfest. Hikari frowned and rested her chin on her palm as she stared at Naruto's failing attempts at water-walking. Despite knowing it was asking a bit much to have him master water-walking in less than a week, she'd hoped he would show the same exponential growth he'd shown when she and the Advance Guard had first gotten their hands on him.

Perhaps this was his wall?

So enthralled was she with her thoughts that she never noticed Naruto trudge out of the water and plop down beside her on the grassy overlook until his clothes splashed her a bit with salt water. She flinched as the water hit her, and glared down at the exhausted boy.

"Giving up already?" she snarked.

"Screw...you..." Naruto wheezed as he took deep, tired breaths.

Hikari chuckled at the sight of him, all tired and frustrated. She remembered many a time when either she or her cousins had been in a similar state. Living on the run, however, pretty much ensured that you didn't dawdle in this way for very long.

"You know we can't really advance if you don't get this down, right?" Hikari noted absently as she looked over at the sea, its waves gently rolling and crashing into the sandy beach.

Naruto groaned. "Kami..." he whined. "This is almost as bad as when Maki-chan used me as a guinea pig."

Hikari giggled, remembering quite well how Maki had gone all "crazy scientist" mode on Naruto when she'd discovered he could use Shadow...Clones...

Hikari slammed her palm against her forehead, causing Naruto to jump in surprise at the vehement force behind said facepalming.

"What the hell, neechan?!" he cried out in surprise.

She ignored him as she glared into her palm, unwilling to believe she was _this_ dense. Maybe she'd been spending too much time around Natsu, and his idiocy had rubbed off on her. Yeah, _that_ must be it! There's no way she was this dense on her own!

"Kage Bunshin," she muttered as she dragged her palm over her face and right off her chin. Leaning back, she quickly flipped up onto her feet and spun, pointing right at her future Clan Head. "Up!" she barked.

Seeing that Hikari was _really_ not in the mood for any backtalk, he quickly complied and, without consciously realizing it, stood at attention, arms firmly set at his sides.

"Shadow Clones," she stated again, this time clear and for Naruto's benefit. "How many can you make?"

Naruto frowned. "What, you mean like that time with that bastard, Mizuki?"

Hikari shook her head. "I mean, usually."

Naruto shrugged. "Well...at a time, I guess twenty or thirty. If I'm rested, forty to fifty?" he mused, clearly trying to think this one through. "If I'm mad, I _think_ over seventy?" he added with another shrug. "Really, as long as I keep it staggered, I can keep making them pretty steadily."

Hikari guessed he could do a _whole_ lot more than sixty when he was angry, and had a fairly decent hypothesis as to why, but decided not to even try pushing that. Neither she, nor Kimiko, nor Kakashi were in _any_ way, shape, or form ready or trained to attempt containment of the Kyuubi. For now, whatever Naruto could come up with without using his other chakra would have to suffice.

Plus, she had a theory to test out.

"Make ten," she ordered in a clipped tone. "Don't do anything with them. Just make ten and stand still."

Naruto blinked in confusion, wondering where she was going with this. Usually, Hikari _never_ asked him to stay still — she was too busy slave-driving him from one workout session to another. Making the plus sign with his hands, he closed his eyes, summoned his chakra, and did as he was told, silently summoning ten shadow clones to his side.

Hikari frowned at him silently for a moment. Were they going to play a staring game, or something? What was the _point_ of this, Naruto wondered.

"How do you feel?" she asked cautiously.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched in irritation. "Bored. Confused. Fearing for your sanity," he sniped. He was soon flicked on the forehead by an equally irritated Hikari for his troubles. "Ow! Damnit, neechan!"

"Behave," she told him flatly before crossing her arms under her chest and fixing him with her best drillmaster glare. "Now, answer the question. How do you _feel_?"

Naruto glared right back. "Tired." he reluctantly admitted.

Hikari nodded absently before pointing to the ocean. "Go try again." Naruto stared at her unbelievingly for a moment before shrugging and moving back towards the ocean, his clones in tow. This was soon brought to a halt, however, when Hikari made a few hand seals, stomped on the ground, and several restraining seals appeared to keep the clones frozen in place. Naruto practically jumped out of his skin at the sudden, belligerent act.

"What the hell?!" he cried out as he stumbled back, his feet sloshing in the salt water.

"No clones," Hikari stated flatly. "Just you. Try again."

Naruto goggled at her, truly fearing for her sanity this time. What was _up_ with her? He'd expected her to order him to use the Shadow Clones the same way Maki had, but instead, she seemingly expected him to do all the work _without_ them.

Not that it made any difference, since he still couldn't regulate his chakra worth a damn.

Hikari seemed to understand his scepticism towards her plan, and merely nodded at him with a reassuring smile. "Trust me. Try again."

Naruto stared at her silently for a moment before sighing, shrugging, and going deeper into the water, until it was shin-high. Eyeing his stricken clones one last time, Naruto closed his eyes and focused on his chakra, getting it to accumulate at his feet.

For some strange reason, he actually found it...easier, this time around.

Then, raising one foot up above water, he pressed down onto the surface and, to his utter amazement, felt it actually take hold. His eyes shot wide open and, instinctively, he tried to press down on his foot — only his concentration was now thoroughly broken, causing him to stumble forward and fall face first into the water in a rather loud splash.

While Naruto resurfaced ready to curse the heavens, however, Hikari's frown had turned to a satisfied smile, as though seeing Naruto's latest failure had proven her theory correct.

It had.

Moments later, she had Naruto and his clones sitting lotus-style in front of her, her best lecture-mode activated. "What do you know of the law of inverse control?" she asked him simply, her hands on her hips akimbo.

Naruto blinked blankly. It had a rather eerie effect when his clones did the exact same thing, _in sync_.

Hikari shuddered at the sight before remembering that it was probably necessary to teach Naruto as though he were of Natsu-level intelligence.

Which paid compliment to _neither_.

"The more chakra you have, the less pinpoint control over it you're going to be able to have," she informed him as she wagged a finger. "That's your problem, brat. You're on the right track, but you use so much chakra that you might as well not be using any at all."

Naruto cocked his head to the side, frowning. He followed where she was going with this, he thought, but he didn't quite see how he'd been able to grip the water with his foot this last time, then.

"How much chakra does a Kage Bunshin have, Naruto?" Hikari then asked him, preempting his question.

"The same as me...right?"

She shook her head. "Each clone possesses a fraction of your chakra directly proportional..." she saw him blanking out and sighed. "...relative to how many you make."

"So..." Naruto prompted slowly, still not really getting it.

Hikari restrained the urge to plant her fist into his head. "_So_ if you have ten clones, and each one has to have the same amount as you, then your chakra has been split eleven ways, counting yourself."

"So?" Naruto repeated, feeling a picture developing in his mind, but not quite there yet.

"So if the amount of chakra was the reason you didn't have proper control, then _less_ chakra means you should have _more_ control," Hikari reasoned. She wanted to hit herself, though. She couldn't _believe_ she'd forgotten about this ability!

Maki would've kicked her ass, no doubt.

Naruto, too, seemed ready to smack himself. He _knew_, for a fact, that he felt a little weaker every time he used Shadow Clones, but the significance of that feeling had never really registered with him.

Hikari wasn't one for wallowing in self-pity, however, and simply pointed back at the water. "Make ten more, then try again. This time, _with_ your clones. Hopefully, we can speed things up a little."

Naruto nodded firmly, already making the appropriate hand seal. "Right!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>On the Bridge...<strong>_

'Hinata!"

"Un!" the Hyuuga heiress acknowledged as Kiba fell back, launching herself at Kakashi, one palm already drawn back, ready to snap forward and nail the Jonin in the midriff.

Kakashi seemingly ignored her, his gaze fixated on his book. Even so, he deflected the palm easily, his left leg already mid-swing as it raced to impact her unprotected side. She'd overdrawn herself again.

Kiba, however, was quick on the uptake and, forced to fight without Akamaru, intercepted the kick for Hinata by pulling her back and taking her place, managing to make the kick turn into a glancing blow against his upper bicep. He still grimaced, however, as even a low-powered kick from Kakashi was substantially stronger than he was used to.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata cried out as she slid back onto her haunches, watching her comrade still get flung to the side by the weakened kick. Kakashi wasted no time, however, and spun on his heel, ready to fire off another kick at his reeling subordinate.

Only to jump at the last second as Hinata attempted to slide tackle his pivot foot off the ground. All this accomplished, however, was for Kakashi to flip in the air, extend his non-reading hand, and pin Hinata to the floor by the neck as Kiba started to recover.

"Time," Kakashi stated calmly as he let go of Hinata and helped her up. He eyed Kiba for a moment. "That was good teamwork," he acknowledged, deciding he had to give them that much, at least. "But you're still overdrawing yourselves," he then chastised.

He nodded at Kiba. "Kiba, you've improved your defensive skills, but you're still trying to use your durability as your main defense. That's a mistake."

He shifted his gaze to Hinata then. "Hinata, your attack strategies and instincts are getting better, but you're still following your target's pace, rather than setting your own. Control the fight, or it'll control you."

Both students nodded, still breathing heavily from the exertion. Kakashi had to hand it to them; ever since that second night, his Genin had been really fired up to train, for some reason. Even meek little Hinata had insisted on training well past her usual exhaustion point. And, according to Hikari, Naruto was pretty much the same; driving himself well past his limits just to cram in another few hours of training.

"Take fifteen minutes to rest, and we'll go through the katas again," he told the kids then, smirking under his mask as he saw them collapse on the ground, heaving grateful sighs as they finally took a breather. Akamaru, seeing that the fight was over, quickly trotted over and licked his partner's face — a form of canine comfort, he assumed.

Walking back to Tazuna, who was hard at work overseeing construction, Kakashi noticed that more than a few workers had stopped to watch the spar — probably the first time they'd seen shinobi train. Even so, he caught the occasional expression of...what seemed like nostalgia. Which was odd, if you thought about it. Wave Country had no hidden village to speak of.

"I see the brats are working super hard," Tazuna greeted him idly as he examined the construction plans in his hands and motioning to one worker. "Ishida! A little more to the left!" he barked.

Kakashi watched said worker do as he was told, but otherwise made no move to show he'd heard Tazuna, except to flip the page in his book. "They take their work seriously," he said simply.

"And I appreciate that," Tazuna told him earnestly, still fixated on the plans. "Especially after I...lied to you and all."

Kakashi flipped another page. "You were desperate. I get that," he stated. "Still, you do know that Konoha's going to be asking for a new deal to make up the rank difference, right?"

Tazuna's shoulders sagged. "Yeah, I figured," the bridge builder muttered. "How much?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Dunno yet," he answered calmly, wisely keeping to himself the fact that he would be the one in charge of making that decision. "I'll let you know."

Tazuna huffed, but conceded the point. "Meh. As long as the bridge gets built and Gato's hold is broken, y'all can bleed me dry for all I bloody care," he grumbled.

Kakashi regarded the man silently. Saying as much had, amusingly enough, caused Kakashi to regard the old bridge builder somewhat more highly, causing him to lower his predicted price increase. If the old man kept it up, he might even forego some of the more strict trading rules he was going to suggest to the Hokage.

Honorable dispositions ought to be rewarded, after all.

Still appearing to be reading, he checked out the bridge's progress. Though Kakashi had forced Tazuna to wait a day after his return to resume construction, it was still nonetheless faring quite well, perhaps even going ahead of schedule. Though, to ensure that as much of it was done as possible, he was starting to wonder if he should order Naruto to create a few Shadow Clones to help out. Even if their resilience wasn't worth writing home about, having the extra pair of hands could only really help.

His gaze slid over to his other two students, who were at least sitting down now, apparently engrossed in another impromptu strategy session — and by strategy session, he meant Kiba firing off wild ideas and Hinata tempering them down into a workable plan.

Good. At least they had the drive to improve.

His thoughts turned to his other, absent student. From what Hikari was telling him after dinner every night, Naruto's progress with water-walking had been slow, somewhat reinforcing his belief that perhaps he should retake control of the blonde's training. He could appreciate the strategic considerations behind Hikari's desire to have the boy learn water-walking so soon, but as Naruto was part of a team, it seemed only logical that his greatest priority be to work as _part_ of one, not train by himself.

Kakashi sighed mentally. Well, at least Hikari was easier to deal with than her older cousin. Unlike the bubbly redhead, Kimiko was about as personable as a solid block of ice, and her attitude, which had been waning a bit in the days before they'd reached Wave, had suddenly taken a heel turn for the worse after she'd begun exploring Tazuna's village.

While none of Gato's men had made her, Kimiko's return the two previous afternoons were heralded by a foul, almost permanent glare on her face and incredibly tensed up muscles, as though she was restraining herself from causing mass property damage. Whatever she was finding that was pissing her off, however, she refused to say, merely sticking to the relevant details that would benefit their assigned mission.

It was such a pity, too, Kakashi mused. However difficult Kimiko was, she was easy on the eyes, and he could appreciate the firepower she brought to the team. If only her attitude would soften up, he had no doubts she would be an incredible asset to the mission. As it was, however, he was beginning to consider filing her under "potential imminent threat" in his mind's archive of notable shinobi.

Only knowing that Naruto and Hikari would probably never forgive him if they found out really stopped him. For all of the blonde's uncouth behaviour, he demonstrated a genuine desire to learn from Kakashi and his peers, and seemingly looked up to him, despite Kakashi's self-avowed bad habits. Hikari, for her part, had been nothing but nice and amiable during the trip, also helping quite a bit in soothing Kimiko's strained temper.

Kakashi sighed as he rolled an eye upwards, glancing up at the bright, blue sky, a few errant clouds drifting westwardly thanks to the sea currents. He supposed situations like these _did_ happen on occasion, especially in their line of work...and he just had to deal with it as best he could. As irritating as that could be.

And who knew? Maybe Kimiko would finally get over whatever was stuck in her craw.

He snorted as he flipped to the next page of his book, a slight blush creeping up on his cheeks as he reached another of Jiraiya's masterfully written erotic scenes.

As if. He'd probably have more luck following Tsunade's lead at a gambling den.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Kimiko's Room, the next night...<strong>_

Kimiko was honestly glad the kids had left when they did, after tonight's lesson in seals — or rather, another round of (failed) meditation, after she'd educated them on the two types of sealing: active and passive, and their different relationships with chakra. She'd been hanging on the edge of her temper for a while there, and was honestly wondering if perhaps dealing with the three Genin would finally make her lose her cool.

Which she _knew_ would be somewhat unfair to the kids, but they'd simply had the misfortune of being the closest targets for her to vent at, at the time. Fortunately, it never got to that point, despite Naruto and Kiba fidgeting and complaining so much she'd been tempted to employ grave bodily harm as a teaching tool. Again.

It'd worked against the other Uzumaki clansmen, after all.

Potential child abuse aside, Kimiko glared up at the ceiling as she dwelled on the _actual_ cause of her boiling anger.

Ever since she'd taken on the task of exploring Tazuna's village, ostensibly to perform recon on Gato's local operations, all she'd found were greater and greater reasons to fly off the handle and just lay waste to everything in sight. Dejected people, ruined village, and petty thugs strutting about as though they owned the place.

Which, she had to concede, they sort of did, all things considered.

Still pissed her off, though.

But what grated her even more, however, was the village's reaction to their destitute, oppressed lives. Acceptance. Pure, unadulterated acceptance. Or rather, resignation. Either worked.

The point was, they were willing to just lie down and take their petty tyrant's whims and live and let live. She didn't see an ounce of resistance in their beings, and that truly rubbed her the wrong way, especially given what she knew about this land.

Hell, she'd listened to the old man tell Kakashi how more and more local workers were beginning to abandon the bridge's construction, apparently because they didn't want to cross Gato or his goons.

Nevermind that, statistically speaking, the people Gato oppressed probably outnumbered their oppressors by several significant orders of magnitude. If they'd had the balls, she had no doubts they could've risen up in rebellion and brought down the corrupt businessman. But _no_...they just lay there and took it, like some two-ryo whore.

She glared fiercely at the ceiling. A very significant part of her wanted to hunt down Gato and his men and skewer them, but she was under _strict_ instructions from Keisuke to not interfere. All she was supposed to do was observe, protect Naruto, and report back with her findings. She'd thought herself capable of handling that burden, but now...now she wasn't as sure. The urge to cut loose was growing more and more unmanageable with every sob story she heard and every act of pathetic resignation she saw.

Hell, even Tazuna's family had caught the bug, if that boy Inari was anything to go by. Tsunami and the old bridge builder might still have a bit of fight in them, but the kid was a lost cause. And no, she didn't care he'd been traumatized by the public torture and execution of his stepfather. She'd gone through _worse_, and she had the wounds to prove it. Even so, she'd crawled and clawed her way back into fighting shape, and taken her revenge for the slights against her disproportionately.

All the sympathy she could muster for this village came in the form of regret — regret that she couldn't have met this Kaiza fellow. Unlike everyone else, what she'd heard of the man had earned him her respect. Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, he'd stuck to the good fight to the bitter end.

The problem was...as angry as she _knew_ she was, and as dangerously close to her snapping point as she was getting, could she really continue performing her duties competently?

As proud as she was, she wasn't stupid. She knew that if she let herself get worse, she'd become a liability, rather than an asset, to not just this team in particular, but perhaps even her Clan. People who became like that within the Uzumaki — and there _had_ been cases — tended to get benched. For good.

It was one of the reasons Akemi seldom left the compound for missions anymore. Another episode like the one she'd had years ago and...

Kimiko shivered. As powerful as she was, Akemi had demonstrated being a class above her in that one instant. Fortunately for everyone, however, the young woman had since basically retired as a shinobi and had settled for teaching younger generations and running the clan bar.

And being Keisuke's occasional agent in the field. Granted, whenever _that_ happened, it usually heralded important or catastrophic things to come.

Case in point, the last time Akemi had hit the field, she'd confirmed Hikari's report on Naruto's existence, thereby bringing about enormous change to the Clan.

The thing was, Kimiko had no intention of leaving fieldwork. Her pride...hell, her _anger_ demanded that she protect the Clan as best she could, by taking out its enemies. She couldn't do that from within the confines of the Clan compound.

So she was now faced with the problem of managing to rein in her temper for a while longer, hopefully long enough for Tazuna to finish his bridge and Kakashi to lead the team back to Konoha. Then she could request a good bandit-clearing job and _finally_ cut loose.

Well, at least she had Hikari's good news to rely on. Apparently, ever since they'd rediscovered the use of Shadow Clones as a training tool, Naruto had been making a few leaps in water-walking, even though he was merely using about a baker's dozen at a time. If it had been her in charge, she would've made him summon as many as he could.

Kimiko sighed as she lay the back of her hand on her forehead, staring quietly up at the battered roof. The future Clan Head gave her mixed feelings — something she hadn't felt in quite some time.

She wasn't, by any means, surprised by his personality — the clan had more than a few happy-go-lucky types running around. Rather, it was his innocent insistence that everything would work out fine. That blunt, unrefined optimism that everyone had a chance to be good.

It was naïve. It was absurd.

It was...nice.

She frowned, banishing those thoughts from her mind. However "nice" those feelings might be, she couldn't accept that childish innocence in a Clan Head. Too much trust had led to the downfall of Uzushio. Too much reliance on their allies had deprived them of the necessary paranoia to see the writing on the wall when the allied enemy nations converged on Uzu.

Naruto had to grow up. He had to _see_ that the world wasn't cute and cuddly and full of good things. As determined as he was to protect his team, she knew that if the enemy gave him but a minor reason to empathize with them, the boy would seize upon it in a heartbeat.

Such empathy was to be commended...in a civilian. In a shinobi, it was just a quick way to get yourself killed.

She had blunted her own emotions; relied on her pain and anger to fuel her distrust of others. She knew it gave her a bad or unapproachable image — she didn't mind. If people thought her own clan feared her, then they would fear her too. And through that fear, she would keep the enemies of the Uzumaki at bay.

She reached for her necklace, its small, spiral icon resting between her clavicles. She grasped the small, jade construct tightly. The Uzumaki were her clan. The clan was everything.

She would protect the clan, even if it meant being hated by all.

That was her role...her _duty_...as its protector.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Zabuza's Hideout, the next day...<strong>_

Zabuza frowned at his disciple as he slowly gripped and released an apple in his hand. At the moment, he could do little more than impress his fingers into the fruit's outer layer, but the goal was to eventually crush it with a single hand with ease. Only then would he be within reasonable condition to fight again.

Even so, he was not exactly pleased with how the preparations for said fight were coming along.

"This is remarkably little information you've given me, Haku," he informed his apprentice as the masked shinobi remained kneeling before Zabuza's bed.

"My apologies, Zabuza-san," Haku apologized plainly, unafraid to admit to failure. "Unfortunately, the bridge builder's home is better guarded than I'd anticipated. Furthermore, the Genin remain under strict, constant supervision by either the girl with the giant scroll or Hatake-san."

Zabuza frowned up at the ceiling, applying a little more pressure to the apple as his irritation grew. "And the woman who injured me?" he asked bluntly.

"She wanders the town," Haku informed him calmly. "She asks a lot of questions about Gato and his operations, though she's also prodded into the local history."

Zabuza snorted derisively. Crazy woman. Who'd want to know more about a dirt hole like this? "So she's scouting out the opposition," he deduced nonetheless, pressing his fingers into the apple a little more. "Clever."

"Perhaps she is attempting to deduce our whereabouts, for a preemptive strike?" Haku suggested.

Zabuza shrugged. "Maybe, but I wouldn't bet on it," he stated neutrally. "There's only so much you can do and find out in a nothing village like the bridge builder's. If she was hunting us down, she'd have left the village long ago."

"Perhaps her wounds are the reason why?"

"In which case, Kakashi or the other girl would've come out to scout for us," Zabuza refuted, frowning as his latest attempt to squash the apple caused a burst of sharp pain to shoot up his arms. He made no mention of this, however, and merely kept quiet — something he'd learned in his shinobi days. The more noise you made, especially in regards to pain, the bigger the target you were. Even so, he knew better than to keep his discomfort from Haku.

"My wounds are acting up," the former Swordsman of the Hidden Mist informed his disciple as he shifted in his bed. "Got any more of that anaesthetic?"

"I'm afraid not, Zabuza-san," Haku apologized. "I used most of my reserves healing Gozu and Meizu for the upcoming fight. Fortunately, however, it is easily enough to replace. The necessary flowers are all rather common in this land."

Zabuza frowned and shifted again, more than a little irritated by the pain. "Do it," he grunted. "I need to get to a hundred percent as soon as possible, or else that goddamned midget's gonna be insufferable and I might have to finally kill him on principle."

Haku said nothing at that, though Zabuza knew his disciple didn't need to. Zabuza knew very well that the youth would not object to Gato's untimely demise, due in no small part to the fact that Gato was a well known human trafficker and drug runner amongst the underworld. Having been subject to the horrors of the bloodline purges in the Hidden Mist, Haku knew better than anyone what kind of monster the midget really was.

Naturally, his disciple made sure he knew of this displeasure at every opportunity.

Still didn't negate the fact that the diminutive businessman had the money and the resources Zabuza needed for his next go at the Mizukage, however.

Zabuza watched as his apprentice left him alone, and returned his thoughts to his confrontation with the strange, redheaded woman. Weapons specialists were nothing new; there were _many_ shinobi who, failing to excel in Ninjutsu or Taijutsu, had turned to being masters of a variety of weapons. What _was_ different, however, was the way in which the woman had accessed her weapon.

He'd seen weapon masters use scrolls to store and release weapons, and predictably, that was a highly inefficient way of fighting. What the woman had done, however, was summon the weapon not from a scroll, but from her _own body_ — something unthinkable. He might not have paid much attention to his sealing classes, but he knew enough about the art that body sealing was extraordinarily frowned upon, if not outright banned.

He could see the advantages in it, however. Unlike scroll sealing, body sealing meant 24/7 access to the seals' abilities and quick retrieval, if you knew what you were doing. And the way the woman had used her seals, she'd gotten access to a high-powered weapon in a split second — extremely convenient for someone who depended on a range of weapons.

But body sealing, he knew, had its significant drawbacks, which he was _sure_ the woman had to know about, because for her to have access to such abilities in such a convenient fashion meant that she'd done the sealing once she'd hit the final straight of her growth spurt.

Or she was bug nuts. Either was a likely possibility.

The point was, she was a wild card. The other girl had seemed a straight-up summoner specialist, what with the huge scroll and all, and he knew enough about Kakashi to understand the man's standard M.O. The hammer-wielding one, however...she remained an enigma.

And not just because of her abilities, either. Zabuza had been ANBU long before he was a missing-nin, and he could recognize hatred in another person's eyes as easily as any man with eyes can tell if the sky is cloudy or not...and that woman had _hated_ him. Not just disliked him — _hated_.

In fact, he would go as far as to say that if she'd had a chance, she'd gut him on sight regardless of any mission. Which was weird, because he liked to think he _knew_ all the women he'd pissed off to that point over the years. He frowned. Another reason to berate Haku for failing in discerning enough information on their opponents. If he didn't know what bone the woman had to pick with him, how the hell could he try to predict her moves?

He frowned. His back was starting to itch, and he was under strict orders not to move around, lest he aggravate his back injuries. Instinctively, he turned his head to call out for Haku, only to stop as he realized his apprentice was long gone by now.

The itch got worse.

Damnit.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Later that day, in town...<strong>_

Naruto yawned in utter boredom as he waited for Hikari to finish her errand inside the store behind him. After Kimiko had finished her scouting, she'd apparently strained herself a tad too much, prompting a relapse in pain, and thus provoking this sudden outing into the town.

As Kakashi remained at the bridge with his two other Genin and the bridge builder, Hikari had been the obvious choice. But with Kimiko's combat effectiveness compromised, that meant she wasn't exactly in the best of conditions to protect the blonde boy in the event of a sudden attack on the house — not that _anyone_ except Kimiko was expecting one, by this point. Either way, the only rational compromise had been that Hikari take Naruto into town with her as she looked for some medicine.

Another clansman might've been able to collect the necessary medicinal plants from the nearby woods, but Hikari had to admit that she sucked something awful at brewing medicines. Much simpler to just buy them, she thought.

And considering Kimiko had dedicated her entire life to the martial arts, rather than healing...

Suffice to say, buying the medicine had been the obvious choice.

Except that Naruto was now faced with an incredible foe — boredom. With his training session with Hikari cut short, he was frankly bored out of his mind as he went with her from store to store in this decrepit little village looking for some pain medication. Most of them focused on foodstuffs — which Hikari had told him was rather logical, considering their miserable lives — or farming/fishing materials, and as their search dragged on, Naruto was starting to believe that perhaps these people had no access to medicine.

Fortunately, he was proven rather wrong.

After the fourth shop turned them away, Hikari finally struck gold with a random passerby, who directed her — somewhat reluctantly, both Uzumaki noted — to a nearby warehouse, where a sizeable line of people could be seen stretching well beyond the door and into the street proper. A few quick questions revealed that things like medicine or other specialty items were closely controlled commodities, and the only way to access them was via Gato's stores. By consequence, the man had a virtual monopoly on the items, allowing him to charge as much as he wanted.

Of course, the key to a good monopoly wasn't to extract every single penny a person had, but rather keeping prices low enough that people would still pay, while high enough to effectively double or triple one's profit margins. If one charged too high out of overconfidence, as any businessman could attest, all that really engendered was resentment and, eventually, insurrection.

Either way, faced with no other choice, Hikari had opted to queue up, waiting patiently as the throng of customers before her slowly advanced into the store. Naruto, for his part, opted to remain outside, not really liking the idea of taking up unnecessary space in what was obviously an already quite cramped store.

All he had to do was promise Hikari he'd never tell Kimiko that he'd been out of her sight when they got back.

A reasonable demand. Odds were, the elder girl would kill _both_ of them for such a breach in security protocols.

Either way, it meant he now had some time to kill while his cousin suffered the hell that was waiting in line. Again, he yawned in boredom. Were it Konoha, he would've just wandered around and come back fifteen minutes later. Unfortunately, this town wasn't Konoha, which meant two things: it wasn't safe, and there was nothing to really see or do.

As Kimiko had reported, the town was a decrepit wreck. Not a house — or rather, shacks — had gone by as they'd walked the dirt streets that didn't need emergency repairs or had a significant amount of its roof or walls patched up hastily. While the people themselves weren't so poor as to wear tattered pieces of cloth just yet, Naruto and Hikari both knew that it was a matter of time before the patchwork kimonos and hakamas were too expensive to repair.

Which isn't to say that there wasn't some form of life in the town. Children still played in the streets and people still walked and talked all over, but the atmosphere was noticeably somber, and whenever a patrol would come by, the streets would clear in a heartbeat.

In addition, conversation was basically nonexistent between the Konoha nins and the populace. Despite their disguises, everyone seemed to know that they were outsiders, and while they weren't turning them in to Gato's thugs, it didn't meant they tried to associate, either. If Naruto had to venture a guess, they were trying to keep their distance in case Gato suddenly developed the urge to go after them.

Sad, but wise.

Sighing, Naruto looked up at the clear sky, watching the slowly wandering clouds. Shikamaru loved doing this, but Naruto had never really gotten the hang of it. Clouds were just clouds to him, and the sky...well, sure, it had its pretty quality, but it was still just the sky. Stargazing with Hikari hadn't changed his mind on this either, much to his cousin's disappointment. He could appreciate the beauty of a clear, night sky, but it didn't exactly...move him.

Sighing again, the blonde — though, arguably, he was now dark-haired, thanks to an ointment Hikari had produced for just such occasions — slid down the store's wall and decided to try and get in some meditation training. Kimiko had been quite irritable these past few days, and every time he and his friends failed to meditate properly, it seemed to add to her irritability.

Closing his eyes — there was no need for a lotus position, according to Kimiko — he tried to clear his mind, envisioning nothingness. He managed to keep that state for about three seconds before, again, his concentration broke. Not due to his hyperactivity, mind, but due to...something else.

He'd found that every time he attempted to meditate, he would feel a tug at the back of his nape, apparently trying to pull him down. Each time, it broke his concentration, and yet when he snapped his eyes open and whirled about to see who'd interfered, he saw his friends staring at him oddly and Kimiko frowning at him. No one had touched him.

He wasn't crazy. He knew what he felt.

Telling Kimiko about it had prompted a confused look from the older girl, before she reasoned that perhaps it was a physiological reflex of his, due to his hyperactive nature. After seeing he hadn't gotten that explanation, she clarified that she thought perhaps his body was unconsciously unwilling to sit about, breaking his concentration.

Asking Hikari had prompted a shrug and a wary agreement of Kimiko's assessment. She promised to inform Keisuke when they got back, to see if perhaps there was something else at play. Briefly, he'd wondered what other reason there could be, but those suspicions were put to the side...until she saw Hikari quietly discussing something, with some obvious intensity, with Kakashi, who kept trying to glance discreetly at him.

Naruto had the distinct feeling that he probably wouldn't like whatever it was they were discussing, and left it at that.

Predictably, then, his latest foray into meditation failed just as miserably, though he was a bit surprised to feel the tug take greater force this time around. Like...as though it was gathering strength.

But that was crazy, right?

"Are you alright?"

Naruto snapped open his eyes, hand already going for a kunai, when he stopped cold, seeing a pretty girl looking down at him curiously. Not as pretty as Sakura, of course, but still quite pretty! She was looking at him quite curiously, raven hair split to frame her delicate face, pale skin and rosy lips serving to give her a very cute appearance.

In fact, if Naruto hadn't been taken so off-guard at the sudden appearance of such a woman, he might've wondered how on earth such a girl could live here and walk about freely, considering the rough nature of Gato's thugs.

"Huh?" he asked instead, a bit dumbly. Blinking as he processed the girl's question, he shook his head slightly and flashed her his brightest grin. "Uh...yeah! I'm good. Why?" he asked, cocking his head to the side, a little curious and rather intrigued by this town girl who'd actually made contact with him, as opposed to the wary shunning of the rest.

The girl emulated his slight move of the head to the sight and smiled back. "You were quite still there, for a moment," she informed him, keeping her hands out of sight behind her back. "I was worried you'd passed out or died."

Naruto blinked. "...err...why?" he asked. That seemed like an odd observation to make on first sight. Wasn't it much more logical to assume he'd been drunk?

The girl cocked her head to the other side, staring at him curiously. "Aren't you from Wave?" she asked, as though that answered his question. It did.

Naruto quickly connected the dots and gave a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his head and shot to his feet, prompting the girl to take a surprised step back at the sudden move. A more observant shinobi might've noticed that the girl's move had been rather smooth for a civilian.

Even so, the girl had nearly managed to blow Naruto's cover as some other Wave transient. Locals would, of course, have known that there were more than a few cases of malnourished or sick persons dying on the streets, and so having someone ask if you were alright would've actually been quite logical.

"Yeah, of course I am!" Naruto insisted, sweating a little as he cursed himself for nearly blowing his cover. "Just...not this town. Y'know?" he added, somewhat lamely.

The girl seemed happy to hear that, however, as she clapped her hands and leaned forward towards him. "Another outsider! That's wonderful!" she exclaimed happily. Naruto quickly glanced about to make sure there weren't any guards about to overhear her. Traffic was strictly controlled between the villages of Wave country, which would heap unwanted scrutiny on his team. "Where from? Ishiyama? Bofu?" her eyes actually seemed about to shoot glitter from the way they sparkled, to his alarm. "Not...Hamura!"

Naruto blinked at all the names. Were those towns? Crap, what a time to remember he'd glossed over the briefing packet!

Picking a town at random, he tried to go for the safe bet. "...Bofu, actually," he half-stated, half-asked. To his relief, the girl deflated.

"Not much better than here, then," she said, looking a little downcast. "I heard the dykes there broke last week. I'm sorry," she apologized with a meek bow.

Naruto wanted to scream. This girl was _really_ testing his cover, and he was honestly pulling whatever answers he had out of his ass! "Err...yeah...it sucked. I...uh..." he glanced at the store Hikari was inside of. An idea bloomed. "Actually, we're here to pick up some supplies for the wounded!"

Technically not false, but also not quite true. Just the way shinobi liked it.

Guess those lessons with Hikari on subtlety had paid off.

Now, however, it was time to turn the tables or get the hell out of dodge. Any more prodding, and Naruto wasn't sure his cover would hold. "And you?" he asked curiously.

The girl cocked her head to the side and smiled down at him. "I'm on my way to the forest, to pick some flowers."

Naruto grinned. "Nice! A present?" he asked teasingly. The girl blushed a bit before shaking her head.

"Medicine," she said, a little abashed. "A...friend of mine got hurt, so I'm helping him recover."

Naruto looked at her quizzically. "How are flowers going to do that? Does he like looking at them? Are they special flowers that heal you by smelling?"

The girl stared at him for a while, unsure whether he was pulling her leg or not. Giving Naruto the benefit of the doubt, she shook her head with an amused smile. "I grind the flowers to make a paste, and that paste has healing properties," she clarified.

"Huh." grunted Naruto as he glanced at the line of people still waiting to be served. Hikari had been inside for like...ten minutes already. How long was this going to take? "I wonder why nee-chan didn't do that."

The girl giggled melodiously, prompting an involuntary blush from Naruto. "It's a very complicated art," she told him amusedly. "Not everyone can do it without practice!"

Naruto nodded in comprehension and grinned at the older girl. "I'm sure your friend will appreciate it then, nee-san!" he told her earnestly before smirking mischievously and nudging her in the side. "Maybe he'd agree to a date, afterward?" he teased.

The girl reddened a bit before giggling. "I doubt it," she told him, somewhat mysteriously.

"Oi, brat, we're done here!" both of them heard a woman yelling from within the store. Naruto's ears perked up, something that didn't go unnoticed by the girl.

"Your nee-chan?" she asked.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Time to go back, I guess," he said, a little disappointed. He held out his hand to the girl. "I'm Naruto." he introduced himself, remembering not to offer up his last name.

The girl smiled and accepted his offered hand, shaking it once. "Haku," she said with a smile. "I hope your friends back home get better, Naruto-san. And I'm glad you're looking out for your precious people." she said.

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, same to you, Haku-chan!"

The girl blinked at him before grinning mischievously as she turned and walked away. After a few steps, she turned around and smiled at him. "By the way, I'm a boy!" she informed him before walking away, leaving Naruto gaping.

That's how Hikari found him moments later, prompting her to look at him askance as he stared at an empty patch of road. "What the hell happened to you?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>December 17, 2013 Update: Chapter has been revised.<strong>_


	16. Wave Arc: Storm

_**AN: **Rejoice, masses! The next chapter is here!_

_On another note, I have finally taken the time to go back and revise most of the previously posted chapters in an attempt at streamlining everything. Errors in continuity, grammar, etc...were particularly targeted, but if I've missed anything, I would greatly appreciate it if it could be pointed out to me and my wonderful beta._

_Other than that, enjoy!_

_MB_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Previously...<em>**

_Team Kakashi continues to train as they and Naruto's two cousins recover from the run-in with Zabuza and his team, well aware that they are racing against the clock until Zabuza also recovers from their fight. Naruto, Kiba, and Hinata work hard to overcome their battlefield weaknesses, but as Kimiko explores the town, her condition becomes aggravated by her building rage, and Naruto and Hikari are tasked with buying medicine. This leads to a surprise encounter between Naruto and a rather feminine youth called Haku...and while the encounter is embarrassing to Naruto, perhaps it is also an omen of a coming battle..._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Tazuna Household, Five Days Later...<strong>_

The amount of ribbing Naruto had gotten from Hikari, and later Kiba once he found out, regarding his run in with the girl/boy named Haku in town had been epic in proportions. Kiba, in particular took great pleasure in occasionally pointing out Tsunami, Hinata, and Kakashi and reminding him of each one's gender.

Of course, two days after _that_ started, Naruto had trounced him in a spar, and the Inuzuka quickly got the message to let up on the gender jokes.

Well, that and the death glare Kimiko had shot him.

Beyond that, however, Naruto was happy that he was finally making progress regarding water-walking. With his chakra reserves diminished thanks to the Shadow Clones splitting it up amongst them, he found it was easier to grasp the concept. Even better, his chakra control was starting to _not_ suck something hard. Oh, it was still pretty bad, by all accounts, but at least it wasn't as kami-awful as it had been back during his Academy days.

But what thrilled him more? He finally got to go back to his team!

Satisfied he wouldn't just get knocked out of the fight by being tossed over the bridge, Hikari had greenlit his return to his teammates, prompting a thankful nod from Kakashi and excited reactions from his teammates. While he might not have been the most hands-on teacher in Konoha, Kakashi had disliked having to split up the trio, even if there was good reason for doing so.

What Naruto found upon his return, however, was that sparring with Hinata and Kiba was no longer the predictable affair he'd been used to. While they still possessed flaws in their adaptive fighting styles, the two were starting to complement each other quite well.

In fact, Naruto had been forced to use his clones more often than not, lest he get overwhelmed by his teammates.

"Shit!" he cursed as he tilted his head away from a clawed strike from Kiba, only to have to jerk his left shoulder back as Hinata shot forward with an open palm, ready to nick him there. He jumped back just in time to avoid Kiba's spinning kick to his head.

Crossing his fingers, he smirked. "Nice, but let's take this up a notch, yeah?" he asked with a grin. Immediately, two Shadow Clones burst into existence at his sides, shooting forward to meet his teammates in battle.

Realizing they were about to go on the defensive, Kiba slid into a ready stance, allowing Hinata to move forward and quickly intercept both clones with well-placed palm strikes to their sternum. Immediately thereafter, Kiba smirked at his surprised teammate, crouched down, and dashed right at him, clawed hands at the ready.

Right on time for Naruto to smirk in turn.

Two more Shadow Clones appeared at his sides, and one of them pulled Naruto out of the way as the other spun on his heel, ready to deliver a kick to Kiba's head. The Inuzuka boy seemed momentarily taken off-guard by the unconventional tactic, but quickly became calm as he smelled a familiar presence dart right past him.

The kicking clone suddenly poofed out of existence as Hinata slammed another palm strike into its side, just before it managed to connect against Kiba. The boy, in turn, used his momentum to roll forward, land in a crouch, and slide-tackled the other clone, prompting it to jump.

Big mistake.

Hinata was on it like white on rice.

"_Shotei!_" she grunted as the bottom of her palm connected with her crush's clone's chest.

Both members of Team Kakashi glanced at each other then, shooting each other satisfied smiles as they succeeded in fighting against their companion. That is, until Kiba was suddenly kneed hard in the stomach by an orange blur from above, and the ground behind Hinata exploded, revealing another clone, who promptly put Hinata into a full nelson.

"Holy _crap_ that was close!" Naruto breathed as he continued to hold down Kiba with his knee. He grinned down at Kiba then. "Thank kami you can't count, dogbreath."

Kiba just flipped him the bird, still too busy trying to breathe normally again to answer vocally. Hinata, for her part, had been so taken aback by the close contact with Naruto that she'd turned bright red, eeped, then passed out, still held up by Clone-Naruto's full nelson.

"Uh, boss?" the Clone asked, finding himself suddenly burdened by the dead weight of a fully passed out girl. "Little help here?"

"No need. I got her." Naruto looked over and saw Kakashi taking Hinata off of the clone's hands. The cyclopedean jounin eye-smiled at his team. "That was a nice spar. Very ingenious way of using your clones, Naruto," he praised before nodding to Kiba. "Kiba, you and Hinata did very well, too, but your situational awareness needs more developing."

Kiba grunted in acknowledgement as he was helped up by the original Naruto. "Yeah...forgot there were three of him in that last run," he admitted.

Kakashi smiled as he looked down at the Hyuuga heiress in his arms. To be honest, if anyone had been at fault there, it was the girl in his arms. He'd expected her to keep Kiba on his toes regarding the missing third Naruto. After all, she was the more level-headed of the trio. Yet, her satisfaction at being able to hold up against her crush had obviously blinded her to that fact.

Plus, what if she had to fight Naruto for real someday? Was she seriously going to pass out every time he made contact with her?

It wasn't a career ending flaw, fortunately...just one they'd have to work on if she was going to be the kunoichi he was certain she could be.

"Oi! One eye!"

Kakashi frowned as he heard Hikari call out to him from the veranda of Tazuna's house. She was dressed in her shinobi gear, for once, apparently ready to go. "The old fart says he's ready to go to work," she informed him as she jutted her thumb back towards the inside of the house, where they could hear an indignant male yelp at her description of the bridge builder.

Kakashi nodded at her. "Alright. Tell him we'll be right there," he requested before turning to his team. With a soft shake, he woke up Hinata, who promptly eeped and jumped away from him in embarrassment, rejoining her teammates in front of him.

He held back a chuckle at the sight and placed a hand on his hip and brought out his book, casually opening it with his free hand right at the spot he'd left off. "Alright, your teamwork is getting pretty good. Fortunately, it doesn't seem like Zabuza is back in the game just yet, so we'll be practicing some more on the bridge while we perform guard duty to get the kinks out," he informed the kids. "Meanwhile, Kimiko-san will be staying here to guard the house, and Hikari-san will be scouting out the town, to make sure Gato's thugs don't come here or the bridge. Any questions?"

All three Genin shook their head.

Kakashi smiled behind his mask, making sure to keep his visible expression — what _wasn't_ covered by his pornographic book — completely lazy. "Good. Get whatever equipment you think you might need, and meet us at the front door in five."

Understanding the implied dismissal, all three Genin went indoors, greeting Hikari as they went in. The redheaded girl smiled at all three of them before walking over to Kakashi. "I left a few warning seals around the perimeter," she informed him, knowing he was listening to her even if wasn't bothering to make eye contact. "Kimiko-nee might be almost healed up, but she'll need the forewarning if anything does go down."

Kakashi made no motion to indicate he'd even been listening, other than to say, "Nice call. The two weeks we estimated are almost up; I can't imagine Zabuza...or Gato, for that matter, letting us run amok for much longer."

Hikari nodded looking serious for once. "Kakashi..." she said seriously. "...I know you're one of the top dogs in Konoha, no pun intended," she added as she saw him look amused by that comment, "but I'm still with Kimiko-nee about letting Naruto-sama out of our sight. In fact, she's rather pissed at me for letting you take him to the bridge, while I go to the village. Please don't betray my trust."

Kakashi tore his gaze from his book to glance at her. "I understand," he stated neutrally.

Hikari stared right back at him for a moment, seemingly undecided about whether to follow through with the original plan, before sighing and nodding. "Alright, then." She raised a waiting hand, to his confusion. "Your arm. Hand it over."

Kakashi frowned at her. "What for?" he asked, a little wary.

Hikari smirked at him. "What's the matter? Afraid of little old me?" she asked, amused.

The jounin just stared at her silently for a moment before slowly raising his left arm into her grasp. He watched silently as she pulled up his sleeve and placed one hand, palm down, on his forearm, while the other quickly flipped through one-handed seals. His eye widened at the sight.

"It's not what you think it is," she cut him off suddenly, still flipping through seals before settling on a C-shaped hand sign. "_Fūin._" she whispered, prompting Kakashi to flinch as a strange, spiral-themed seal appeared on his forearm. Letting go, she smiled in satisfaction.

"What did you do?" he asked her as he raised his arm to better check out the seal. He wasn't nearly as familiar with them as his old sensei had been, or the man's wife.

"It's a distress seal," she told him with a small smile before raising one hand and curling all of her fingers, save for the index and middle fingers. "Channel a bit of chakra into your fingers like so," she demonstrated for him before placing them on her shoulder, where her tattoo was. "And apply it to the seal. It'll let Kimiko-nee and I know if you need help."

Kakashi nodded, pleasantly surprised by the forethought. "That's...convenient. What if you need _my_ help?" he asked. She smiled.

"It goes both ways. If I or Kimiko-nee need your help, we'll do the same, but with our tattoos."

And suddenly, the Uzumaki were a lot more dangerous in Kakashi's eyes. He'd seen, of course, that all of them had the distinct swirl tattoo, but had chalked it up to little more than a statement of allegiance. Knowing that it also worked in such ways, however, meant they were capable of incredible, non-visual coordination. Used innovatively, it could even be used to send messages in morse code.

Brilliant.

Hikari, however, misjudged his careful examination of the seal for something else. "Don't worry," she reassured him with a smile. "The seal's temporary. It should fade away after a couple of days."

A little thankful that she hadn't guessed his actual train of thought, he nodded in thanks. "That's convenient," he noted before eyeing her hands. "Those hand seals, though..."

Hikari cocked her head to the side, smiling sheepishly as she glanced away. "Yeah, those are special," she said, scratching her cheek. "They only work with our _Fūinjutsu_, but it takes like...twice the amount of time to perform because we're only using one hand."

Kakashi filed that information away for later perusal. Even if he didn't know much about the sealing arts, he understood well the impact of having the ability to perform one-handed seals. Time lag or not, it was a powerful weapon to have in one's arsenal.

"Oi! Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi turned to see Kiba waving at him. Glancing back at Hikari, who was stretching out, he nodded at her. "Good luck, then," he told her.

The redheaded girl smiled gratefully. "Thanks. Same to you."

* * *

><p><em><strong>In town, a few hours later...<strong>_

Hikari groaned lazily as she stretched her limbs, enjoying the light breeze as she lay on some house's roof. A quick tour of the village had revealed nothing unusual, so she'd decided to take it easy and maybe nap on top one of the houses. Naturally, she'd made sure to set up detection seals in case anyone got too close, but for the most part, she was content knowing that today was turning out to be another lazy day.

Honestly, though, she didn't quite understand why Kimiko had been so insistent in patrolling this dump. Sure, the villagers were nice enough — when they weren't acting as though she was about to stab them in the throat at any given moment — but for the most part, Gato's thugs seemed content to just strut all over and maybe, _occasionally_, harass a citizen or two.

The one time she'd tried to intervene, she'd been surprised to see the victim take the thugs' side, so ever since then, she'd left the situation alone. Clearly the locals seemed to think that causing any trouble would bring down the full might of Gato's wrath on them.

It was an eye-opening experience for her.

She'd been raised amongst her family, she'd never gone on a mission like this before — other than that one time she snuck out and had gone to Konoha, leading to this mess — and so she hadn't any idea that people could just take this sort of abuse lying down. Asking Kakashi, Kimiko, and Tsunami, however, she quickly understood that most people seemed content in remaining alive...even if not necessarily free.

But thankfully, the past few days had allowed the locals to warm up to her, and she'd more than once been offered an apple or some other food to snack on while she did her rounds. Gato's thugs, for their part, seemed to thin out more and more, until one of the villagers noted that the past few days had been the most calm they'd had in months.

The local consensus was that they had been recalled to Gato's headquarters at the Wave capital of Hamura. Hikari, for her part, wasn't so convinced, but based on local anecdotes that this wasn't the first time such a thing had happened, decided to trust the villagers...within reason. She was shinobi, after all. Trust, but verify.

Still...if it wasn't for the rundown nature of the village, she might've considered it a nice place.

Not as nice as Konoha, though. _Kami above_, that place rocked!

Then again, compared to living in an enclosed compound in the middle of nowhere-land, anything that approached a semblance of human civilization was a gigantic step up.

Not to mention that she could now oggle the male eye candy without feeling weird.

She smiled in self-satisfaction as she thought to her exploits in Konoha. While Naruto had been out and about doing D-Ranks and the Jonin made a game of running their Genin's patience into the ground, she'd been enjoying the many wonders that a major village had to offer.

And by wonders, she meant the boys, naturally.

She'd had a few dates here and there, and while a few ended up being jerks, she'd had a few fun nights. Nothing too adult, of course, but enough to finally feel like she was living...as opposed to just going through the motions back at the compound.

It also served as an awesome excuse to get out of the compound construction night shift. Because _fuck that_. She needed her beauty sleep, and she wasn't going to waste those precious hours working the late shift, just so her cousins to destroy her hard work the next day during one of their over-amped "play fights."

She grinned to herself as she eyed the blue sky above. Yeah...disobeying Keisuke all those months ago had been the right idea. Finding Naruto was easily one of the best things that had ever happened to her.

She giggled as she remembered her promise to the boy, under that starry sky. To pledge her allegiance to him if he broke through to Kimiko. At the time, it had really been something of a desperate gamble...but as she watched the future Clan Head interact with the coldhearted clan enforcer, she was easily starting to believe it was just a matter of time.

And, to be honest, she was going to pledge herself to him anyway.

He had the right heart, she thought, for what was coming his way. Unlike Raiden, whom she shuddered to imagine as Clan Head, Naruto welcomed any and all into the family. He saw past the divisions that had kept them apart for decades now, and he was determined to see the family reunited...a sentiment not shared by a depressing amount of her cousins. Maybe not the majority, but still...no family member should ever _not_ seek the reunion of their family.

She bit back a yawn as she enjoyed the warm sunlight, stretching out her limbs again, lest she get so relaxed she'd need a few warm ups before springing into action.

Man, this place was pretty great...calm, peaceful...quiet...

She frowned. It _was_ pretty quiet. So quiet, in fact, one might've thought there wasn't anyone around.

So alert was she at the sudden lack of human activity that the moment her perimeter seals went off, she was already on her feet, hand reaching for her scroll.

Right on time, too, as the roof exploded in front of her and behind her, with two shadowed figures popping up, familiar steel, clawed gauntlets at the ready to tear her apart.

As she dodged to the side, just in time to avoid getting cut to ribbons, she couldn't help but curse her team's calculations; so much for two _fucking_ weeks!

Yet, as she steadied herself to fight the Demon Brothers, who were glaring holes into her, she quickly realized their calculations were even _further_ off the moment an arrow whizzed by her head, barely missing her.

As she rolled out of the way of a subsequent barrage, cursing under her breath, she managed to get a solid look of the street below. Full of mercenaries. Armed to the teeth with many, sharp objects or bows, all of them looking to severely maim and/or kill her.

_Fantastic_.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Tazuna Household...<strong>_

Kimiko glared up at the ceiling as she lay in her futon, still recovering from her fight against the Kiri nin. Well...sort of.

While Hikari and Kakashi insisted she still had to rest while her ribs healed, Kimiko was pretty certain she could already function quite well in any sort of standard shinobi scenario. She would only ever really feel the drawback of her injuries, at this point, if she pushed herself too hard.

And since Kakashi and Hikari were so willing to take on the Kiri nin and his assistant themselves, what were the odds of her having to fight anyone remotely near her level?

She sighed, more than a little annoyed at her situation. Doing nothing was proving to be quite taxing on her patience, especially considering what she'd found out during her scouting mission.

She could still hardly believe this land had once been the proud and mighty Uzu no Kuni, home of Uzushiogakure, village of the powerful Uzumaki Clan.

This was her home.

Or, it had been, once upon a time.

In true shinobi fashion, the history of her home had been wiped out from the books, even in Konoha. She'd made sure to raid the village library for any information on Wave Country before the mission had started in order to verify her Elders' claims. To her dismay, the books were quite clear — Wave had always existed. It and Uzu had nothing in common.

In fact, Uzu might as well have not existed, but for a few mentions, here and there, about how it used to be allied to Fire Country.

But Keisuke would never have lied to her about this. Uzu, and Uzushio in particular, were like lost holy sites to the Uzumaki. Everyone with the surname dreamed of the day they could return to their home, and reclaim what was theirs. For many of her clanmates, Konoha was but a rest stop while they reunited the Clan, with the full intent of leaving someday soon for Uzu.

But aside from the Elders, not many were left who could still recall where Uzushio was, having been born or raised primarily during their time in exile. Like all Hidden Villages, its location was a jealously guarded secret...for all the good that did them the first time around. Even worse, everyone had heard the rumors that Iwa, Kiri, and Kumo hadn't just settled for destroying their village, but had virtually annihilated the entire country.

Given the existence of individuals like the Jinchuuriki, no one had thought it too far-fetched that their beloved island home was no more. Moreover, their despair at the news was such that no one had the heart to look into it. By the time her generation had come around, no one truly believed there was an Uzu to go back to...even though the idea of returning one day felt quite romantic.

But now she knew their assumptions were wrong. Uzu had just been replaced with Wave — Kiri having installed their own puppet government for a while, before its civil war had prompted it to cut all ties. Now, that decrepit, useless Daimyo and his line remained tenuously in power, and Wave was just an accepted fact of reality.

And that just pissed her off.

She allowed her companions to believe she was pissed off at the villagers' reluctance to stand up to Gato. In truth, she _was_, but the main source of her rage was that these once-proud citizens of Uzu had so casually tossed aside their history. They accepted Wave as their country, even though Kiri wasn't around to enforce the usurper Daimyo's political power anymore.

More importantly, they had failed to honor her ancestors.

Her _parents_.

The Uzumaki had stood guard over Uzu since a little after the death of the Rikudo Sennin. Where the Senju and Uchiha had inherited the Sage's martial skills, the Uzumaki had focused on his message of learning, and had been amongst the greatest scholars of the age. From Uzu, they guarded the Sage's legacy of learning, slowly building up a reputation for literacy and martial prowess...even before the Senju and Uchiha had managed to found Konohagakure, Uzushio had already existed, even if back then it was just a small, academic town, as opposed to a Hidden Village.

For years, Uzushio and the Uzumaki had given their all in defending Uzu's citizens from the ambitions of the larger nations. For years, they'd bled and died in Uzu's name.

All of that. Swept under the rug.

If boiling blood through anger was an actual thing, Kimiko was certain it would have best described her current state as she grit her teeth, feeling every sliver of anger and resentment flood her psyche.

Had it been shame that had caused the world to forget Uzu? Was it treachery? Or cowardice?

It didn't matter to her. All she knew was that her family had been relegated to being a footnote in history. A footnote to the lesser clans.

She grit her teeth as she felt her chakra flare, sending waves of pain all throughout her body as her abilities threatened to tear their way out of her. With great effort, she was able to reel her temper back, lest it literally kill her in a fit of rage.

She needed an outlet. Soon. Between the Elders' refusal to criticize the jonin-sensei openly, the revelation about Wave, and her former country's dilapidated state...

Frankly, if she didn't get her hands on someone to kill soon, she was likely to snap.

That was why, the moment she heard Tsunami's horrified scream, Kimiko was torn between smiling outright, or just going on her well-deserved, well-repressed rampage.

She chose the latter.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Wave Bridge...<strong>_

Naruto wasn't going to lie...this was _not_ what he'd been expecting to find when his team and Tazuna came back their break.

Standing before his team, plus Tazuna, were Zabuza and his masked companion, and right in front of _them_ were a line of hapless workers, all of them looking terrified out of their minds. Each of them had their hands bound behind their back and were forced to kneel, pretty openly outlining the scenario for Team Kakashi.

Hostage situation.

"Huh." he heard Kakashi grunt, apparently just as surprised by this turn of events as he was.

"Much as I'd _love_ a straight-up rematch against you and that redheaded bitch, Hatake," Zabuza spoke up then, his voice somehow defying physics as it was heard clearly and unmuffled through the mask...just like Kakashi. "I'm afraid my contractor's patience has run out. He wants Tazuna dead, and I'm not fond of sticking around in one place for too long. So here's how it's going to work."

The missing nin casually reached up to his sword handle and hefted it up, and then set it against the first hostage's throat, a slightly obese, short man. "You hand over the old man, and I don't make fatty here shorter than he already is."

"Hiro!" Tazuna cried out, aghast at his subordinate's situation.

"T-Tazuna-san..." the hostage, now identified as Hiro, wept. "P-Please..."

Naruto glared at Zabuza; this was one of the lowest moves a shinobi could pull off. Even though they weren't samurai, taking hostages was pretty kami-damned cowardly! Apparently, his sensei felt the same way, because when he spoke up, his voice was tight and controlled.

"I never imagined you for hostage-taking, Zabuza," Kakashi said evenly as he reached up for his headband and slowly dragged it up, revealing his Sharingan eye. "I would've thought one of the Seven Swordsmen would've had more honor."

Zabuza scoffed, though from his companion's body language, it was pretty clear that the younger shinobi felt a little conflicted by the situation. Even so, they were making an excellent show of controlling their emotions. "Why? Because we like straight-up fights?" he asked archly. "Just because we're damn good at kenjutsu doesn't mean we're not shinobi, Hatake, so don't play all high-and-mighty with me!"

Zabuza withdrew the blade and pointed it at Kakashi, yet his other hand remained on the hostage's jaw, ready to snap his neck in an instant if Kakashi got cute. "I ain't samurai, and neither are you. You think I don't know you've had to do worse?" he asked, amused. "Or that you're just stalling me so you can figure a way to get around this little setup of mine?"

Kakashi's eyes widened, and he raised a halting hand. "Zabuza, wai—!"

SNAP

Hinata screamed in horror as the first hostage slumped to the ground, his neck broken. Kiba and Naruto swore loudly as they saw Zabuza brutally execute the man, not even glancing at his victim before his sword swung horizontally and stopped just in front of the second hostage's neck, who looked about ready to pass out. Tazuna, for his part, just stared dumbly at where his subordinate's body lay, his expression frozen in terror. He couldn't even say anything as Zabuza's companion quickly gathered up the corpse and flung it over the side of the bridge, soon out of sight.

"Pathetic," Zabuza spat as he observed the Genin's reactions. "Always knew you Konoha hippies were too soft. Can't even watch an execution without going all emotional!"

Naruto growled angrily as he made a move to dash at Zabuza, only to be held back by the scruff of his shirt by Kakashi. Alongside him, he saw Kiba similarly halted, and both boys turned to glare at their sensei. That look ended just as quickly, however, as Kakashi's glare towards Zabuza intensified. clearly, the jonin was _not_ pleased.

"That was unnecessary, Zabuza," Kakashi stated as calmly as he could.

Zabuza chortled at the jonin's words. "Unnecessary?" he asked eventually as his laughter came back under control, still sounding quite amused. "I have ten hostages, Hatake," he glanced to the side and then shrugged. "Well, nine now. Killed one to prove I was serious. Nine more to go. As long as I still have one last hostage, you're pretty much going to have to do what I say if you want to avoid more bloodshed."

And then the corners of Zabuza's eyes crinkled in mirth. "Or tell ya what. You do the shinobi thing and let me kill these people, save your client." he noted wryly. "And then we'll have our rematch."

Kakashi's glare remained steady, but his hands did not. Making a show of crossing his arms to think this through, he surreptitiously charged his index and middle finger with chakra and placed it right on top of Hikari's emergency seal. Even if he could deal with Zabuza...and maybe his companion...the hostage dimension meant he needed backup, fast.

That both Uzumaki women were also knowledgeable in seals, particularly of the restraining type, was also rather critical to his plans.

Unfortunately, the moment he sent his message, he got one right back. Kakashi did a great job of suppressing a frown. Who had that been? Hikari? Kimiko? Logical deduction told him the likely candidate was Hikari — Kimiko would've likely needed to be on the verge of death before asking for help. And even then, it wasn't a guarantee.

Either way, this was problematic. His instincts were screaming at him that they were being attacked on all fronts, and Zabuza, as he had gloated, definitely held the advantage right now, even if perhaps not in the way the man thought.

Time to change that.

"Fine." he stated at last. Everyone on the bridge snapped their gaze over to Kakashi. "Do it, Zabuza. Kill them."

For once, the Swordsman seemed at a loss at this sudden turn of events. He'd been sure that the infamous Copy Ninja would hold out a lot longer. Long enough, he'd hoped that his backup plans would be in place. This was much too soon.

Even so, his bluff had been called, and now he either delivered, or he pussed out.

No brainer.

Ignoring the old bridge builder and the Genin protesting loudly against this decision, Zabuza gave a grunt as he spun on his heel, grabbed Kubikiribocho with both hands, and swung it horizontally, slicing through each of the nine remaining hostages' necks as he spun into range.

Amidst the startled, horrified cries of his opponents, Kakashi alone seemed unfazed by what had just happened.

And then the hostages burst into water.

Zabuza was silent as he straightened up, his blade resting about an inch above ground. Then, slowly, he turned his head to meet Kakashi's calm gaze. "Clever," he conceded. "How'd you know?"

Kakashi lazily pointed at the masked shinobi, who'd remained still throughout everything, seemingly uncaring about everything that had gone down. "He threw the body over the rails."

Zabuza chuckled at that. "Of course. Nothing gets past Sharingan no Kakashi, huh?" he mused.

Kakashi shrugged. "Exactly. Just like you two are also Water Clones, most likely," he somewhat bluffed, much to his team's surprise. All three snapped their gazes back to Zabuza, who laughed.

Kakashi had nailed it in one.

Fortunately, no one had to know that his conclusions were more based on deduction and factual extrapolation, rather than concrete fact. In other words, that he'd pretty much pulled that analysis out of his ass.

The Swordsman of the Hidden Mist cocked his head to the side with an amused glare. "Well done, Hatake," he praised. "But if we're not here, then _where_ are we?" he asked archly.

Naruto didn't like the sound of that. Not at all. And with good reason, too, because at that moment, the bridge under their feet decided to shake like crazy, just as the rather loud sound of something getting atomized reached their ears.

Moments later, as he and his team, plus Tazuna were sailing upwards into the sky, the remains of the bridge and copious amounts of fire racing up towards them, Naruto could only wonder how the _hell_ they'd gotten so shafted in this one mission.

* * *

><p><em><strong>In Town, fifteen minutes earlier...<strong>_

Sometimes, Hikari really wished she wasn't as adventurous as she was. That way, she could've just stayed back at the clan compound and let some other schmuck take care of bodyguarding duty while she kicked back and relaxed in her new home.

She cocked her head to the side, gritting her teeth as another arrow nicked her cheek.

Oh, and also_ so she could stop getting in these sorts of situations!_

"Payback's going to be a bitch, bitch!" one of the Demon Brothers snarled at her as he lunged forward, clawed gauntlet ready to tear her to ribbons.

Hikari rolled her eyes as she continued to dodge, unable to find a good opening to open her Summoning Scroll and _really_ let loose on these assholes. But noooo...instead, she had to play keep-away while her opponents failed at making witty reparté.

Not that it would've improved her situation overall much, but at least it might've been a little more entertaining.

Another arrow whizzed by, reminding her to pay attention to her surroundings, or else she was going to be another name carved into the Memorial Tablet. And to be honest, she was rather looking forward to being one of the few on there that died of natural causes, as opposed to hundreds of sharp, deadly implements.

In hindsight, perhaps becoming a shinobi had been a poor career choice.

She jumped back, crossing the brief gap between houses and landing on another roof, only to jump back as the other half of the Demon Brothers crashed right where she'd landed, his gauntlet making short work of that section of the house's roof.

"That's not nice," she noted wryly. "These poor people work hard keeping their roofs looking like crap!"

"Still making jokes, bitch?" growled the second of the pair as his comrade joined him. "Once we get our hands on you, you'll be needing a closed-casket funeral!"

Hikari shrugged. "Beats needing to use a mask to hide your face every second of every day," she pointed out with a smirk. The two brothers seemed a little confused by that, though, so she sighed and put her hands on her hips akimbo. "You're ugly." she deadpanned.

There it was. Both missing-nin growled angrily and charged at her, unaware that their momentary lapse had bought Hikari the time she needed. With a smirk, she channeled her chakra into her hands. "_Fuin!_" she shouted. She knew it was bad form to do so, but her uncle Hiroki had long ago taught her that sometimes, shouting out your technique was a good way to make your opponent hesitate from time to time, especially if it was a technique or jutsu branch they were unfamiliar with.

Fortunately for her, the Demon Brothers were hardly Fuinjutsu specialists, or well versed in the ability of seals. As such, both of them halted their charge and split up to hit her flanks, just in time for Hikari's barrier seals to activate.

She grinned as two half-circle purple barriers burst out of the ground, at a radius of about four feet, and connected to each other, keeping her for all intents and purposes quite trapped.

Or, perceived differently, keeping her enemies at bay while she regrouped. Grabbing hold of her scroll, she set it on the ground beside her and smirked at her opponents as they tried, ineffectively, to break the barrier through brute force. "Should've taken me down when you could, boys," she taunted as she quickly flipped through one-handed seals. "You're about to see _why_ the Uzumaki are not to be trifled with!"

Just as the barrier fell, she crouched down and slammed her free hand onto the ground, a slew of illegible sealing characters spreading out from the point of impact. "_Kuchiyose!_" she cried out, prompting both Demon Brothers to jump back, knowing that summons weren't foes to be toyed with.

Hikari smirked. "Wrong move, punks!" she taunted, before crying out, "Soar! Sora, Shou!"

The Demon Brothers cringed as shrill, piercing shrieks tore through the air, sounding remarkably like...

Eagles.

Both Demon Brothers reeled as giant eagles rose out of the obligatory smoke caused by the summoning technique, batting their enormous wings as they gained altitude. Briefly, both missing nin were able to glimpse the redheaded woman standing atop the larger of the two.

The mercenaries, for their part, were stunned at the sight of the two colossal birds, hovering high up in the sky. Only their archers seemed to regain any sense quickly, and resumed fire, now intent on bringing down the eagles.

Rather ineffectively, too, considering that the birds had made sure to stay beyond their range, and if a lucky shot did manage to reach them, they would just effortlessly dodge to one side or another. A few bolts were even caught by the eagles in their beaks or claws, and promptly snapped in half.

Even so, the arrows were no joke. She couldn't very well ask her summons to suicide charge dozens of archers. Fortunately, she didn't have to.

"Sora, Shou, let's teach these guys who rules the sky!" she instructed. Both eagles shrieked in agreement as they began to flap their wings at the mercenaries below, unleashing gusts of winds to rival _F__ūton: Fūtan_. While that was worrisome in itself, the mercenaries quickly found themselves about to face a new horror as Hikari stood on her eagle's head and flipped through various hand seals before stopping at Tora.

Both Demon Brothers hadn't been missing nin for nothing, however, and quickly realized her intent. As Hikari took a deep breath, the former Kiri shinobi quickly dashed away.

_Katon: Karyū Endan_.

She split her focus between holding up the technique and breathing out the steady jet of blazing fire, spurred on to become a great blaze as it interacted with her summons' powerful wing flaps. She heard the mercenaries scream in terror as her fire hit the ground, incinerating her foes. As they began to run away, she nudged Sora forward with her feet, which the eagle gladly obliged. Swooping down towards the enemy, Hikari kept her footing steady with chakra and continued to blaze a trail up the street, catching most of the mercenaries in her technique.

When the few mercenaries who'd survived came out of hiding, trying to shoot Sora in the back as she raced by, Shou would then dive bomb them and crush the life out of them with his claws.

By the time Hikari and her summons had finished their run down the street, most of the mercenary group which had tried to take her down were now simply charred husks, crumpled on the ground. The Demon Brothers, she was displeased to note, were nowhere to be seen.

As Sora hovered over the ruined street, Hikari took note that a few houses seemed to have had their roofs set on fire by her technique, despite her best attempts at keeping the collateral damage to a minimum. Thankfully, she had a solution for that. Grabbing her scroll, she unrolled it until about a foot in and took aim at the street down below. "Another run, Sora!" she instructed.

As the eagle complied, Hikari grinned as she channeled her chakra into the scroll. "Kai!" she called out as they began their run, unleashing a torrent of water onto the dilapidated houses. Instantly, most of the fires went out, but she could also hear the indignant squawks of tenants being drenched.

Hikari snorted. If they were willing to let her get blindsided the way she had been, they deserved getting a little wet.

As they finished up and returned to the skies, however, Hikari winced as she felt her tattoo pulse. Setting her scroll back onto her back, she quickly identified the rookie-like signal as Kakashi's. Its pulse had been weak, and somewhat erratic. As she readied to go help, however, she was surprised when she then felt _another_ pulse, prompting a chill down her spine.

Kimiko was in trouble.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Tazuna's House...<strong>_

Kimiko didn't know where things had gone so wrong.

At first, things were quite straightforward. Upon hearing Tsunami scream, she'd dashed out of her room, still in nothing but her yukata, and burst into the living room, where two mercenaries had apparently taken Tsunami hostage and were now threatening her son, who looked about ready to soil his pants from fear.

Pathetic.

Being run-of-the-mill scumbags, Kimiko managed to dispatch both with laughable ease. A quick elbow to the throat of the one holding Tsunami hostage and a roundhouse kick to his partner's head, and both mercenaries were on the ground, very, _very_ dead.

Ignoring Tsunami's thanks, and not even sparing her son a glance, she turned to return to her room to dress up when she suddenly found herself unable to move. In fact, so sudden was her stop that she almost fell over, managing instead to land on her hands. This afforded her a good look at her feet, which she only belatedly realized were now frozen solid. A quick glance at Tsunami and her son revealed that they, too, had fallen prey to the sudden sprout of ice at their lower limbs.

How the _hell_ had she missed that?!

Trying to break the ice through sheer force of will and brute strength didn't work, either, despite pulling at her feet or punching the ice. Then again, with Inari crying in fear again and Tsunami trying her best to calm him down without also succumbing to a panic attack, Kimiko had to admit that her focus was somewhat split.

But then things got worse.

Without any warning, a hail of senbon tore through the door, and while she managed to duck out of the way, she winced as a few managed to strike home and buried themselves in her right arm.

"Nice work, Haku."

Kimiko's glare returned full force as she recognized that voice. There was no way she'd ever forget it. It was the voice of a man she so desperately wanted to kill.

"Zabuza..." she growled fiercely as she watched the door get sliced into tiny pieces by the Kubikiribocho, revealing, indeed, both Zabuza and his masked assistant, now revealed as a youth called Haku.

"Fancy meeting you here, redhead," Zabuza greeted her, his eyes narrowed in a way that told her he was probably smirking under those facial bandages. "Looks like your intel was solid, Haku."

The man's assistant merely nodded as he moved forward, towards Tsunami and her son. "As we agreed, Zabuza-san, I will take charge of these two," the quite feminine voice — much to Kimiko's surprise — spoke up then.

Zabuza snorted as he shouldered his legendary blade. "You've always been soft, Haku," he noted. "But fine. All I really want is this bitch anyway."

Ignoring Tsunami and her son's cries for help, Kimiko glared over her shoulder at Zabuza. "Coward!" she spat. "Not man enough to fight me head on, you try a sneak attack?!"

Zabuza actually laughed uproariously at that. "And why shouldn't I?" he asked, once he got his laughter under control, though he was still chuckling every so often. "I'm shinobi, just like you. I know my odds of winning are shit if you, Kakashi, and the other bitch are around. And my crew sure as hell can't fight all three of you at the same time. So why not divide and conquer?"

He then turned to Haku, a little annoyed at the woman and her son screaming. "Haku, just finish it, already." he growled.

The masked shinobi had been trying to calm down both of his targets, assuring them that they were not his or Zabuza's targets, and all would be well if they just stayed put. For obvious reasons, however, that just wasn't flying. Turning his head back to meet Zabuza's gaze, the masked shinobi quietly stared at him before slumping his shoulders and looking back at Tsunami and the boy.

"I apologize," the feminine sounding shinobi said as he flipped through hand seals. "You will not die, but you will be unable to intervene. Rest easy." he comforted them. "_Hyōton: Hyōrō no Jutsu._" In an instant, both mother and son were encased in solid ice from head to toe.

Zabuza scoffed. He never could manage to get rid of Haku's dislike for killing. Were it not for that, his companion would've been an excellent shinobi, per his estimation. Turning his gaze back to the bent over redhead — okay, so maybe they were enemies, but _sweet gods of perversion_ — he felt a pang of disappointment as she managed to straighten up, robbing him of his delightful view.

"Release me, Zabuza," she ordered him, still glaring hatefully. "I'll gladly give you the fight you're looking for."

Zabuza was tempted to take her up on that, but he knew that would be highly unwise. Even with her right arm pretty much skewered, he had no doubts that this was a formidable fighter, and he needed to be in top shape to take down Kakashi. Maybe the other redhead, too, if the Demon Brothers failed him again.

"I think not," he stated simply before turning away. "Haku."

"Hai, Zabuza-san," the feminine voice answered as more hand seals were made. "My apologies, shinobi-san, but you are a threat to Zabuza-san's dreams. Sleep." the shinobi apologized before finishing his seals. "_Hyōton: Hyōhari_."

Kimiko growled impotently as she watched numerous, thin icicles form out of thin air, all of them poised to run her through. Well, if either of them thought she was going to just lie down and take this, they were damn wrong. In the blink of an eye, she bit into her left thumb and reached for her chest, much to Haku and Zabuza's surprise.

"Haku!" Zabuza barked, not willing to give the woman enough time to bring out another one of her toys.

"Farewell, shinobi-san," the feminine companion said as he motioned for the icicles to shoot forward.

For Kimiko, it all happened in slow motion. Her thumb was reaching her chest, bleeding as needed, and she was just about to show these punks a lesson in pain when the first shot of pain raced through her body. Then another. And another. And another.

She jerked about as Haku's icicles pierced her all over, gasping in pain each time. The pain was immeasurable! It was all she could do not to pass out as she remained standing only by virtue of whatever strength was left in her legs, her body looking like a pincushion, no doubt. She wanted to drop to her knees, but knew her frozen feet would not allow her. Most likely, she knew she would fall forward or backward enough for the icicles to hit ground, then either they would get pushed out or would hold her up.

Neither was exactly pleasant to ponder.

As she dimly heard her attackers talk, she shakily tried to retain feeling in her right hand. If she passed out now, Naruto and Hikari would be in danger, especially since they likely weren't aware of this sneak attack.

Once she heard the two ex-Kiri shinobi leave, she tried to raise her hand to her left shoulder, and gathered as much chakra as she could. She had to warn them. She had to. Even if it was the last thing she ever did, her duty as an Uzumaki was to warn her family of the attack. To her relief, she managed to reach her shoulder, and felt her tattoo absorb her chakra, letting loose the warning signal.

Satisfied, she let the encroaching darkness take her, and her hands fell limply at her sides.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Post-AN: <strong>CLIFFHANGER NO JUTSU!_

_But seriously, I know I'm evil. I hope to have the next chapter posted ASAP, however...as long as writing up the next Emperor chapter doesn't suck out all of my creativity. Or my boss doesn't dump a ton of work on me...the lesson here, kids, is that journalism is a demanding career._

_Cheers,_

_MB_

**_Note: This chapter has been revised as of December 17, 2013._**


	17. Wave Arc: Temper, Temper

_**AN**: Woo! Chapter's out! Sorry if you all wanted the epic conclusion of the Wave Arc to happen immediately after the last chapter, but no dice. More character building, and then **next** chapter, the fight starts and ends. Then we can get on with the story._

_As a note, I may occasionally decide to put up popularity polls as the story progresses. Not only do I see this as an opportunity to let you point out which character you like best, but it also helps to tell me which characters are best developed and which aren't, which I would then use to improve my own writing. As soon as the Wave Arc ends, I'll put up the first one for LoU, I think._

_Cheers!_

* * *

><p><em>Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!<em>

Hikari's thoughts were racing as she urged Sora to fly faster towards Tazuna's house, Shou having been redirected to help Kakashi and his team. She had no idea what kind of trouble Kimiko had found herself in, but...

Man, if it made _Kimiko_ use the transponder seal, what kind of odds did _she_ have?!

The redhead bit at her thumb nail as she fretted over their situation. She knew Kakashi had requested for backup as well, which meant Naruto was, by consequence, in danger, but she was certain that whatever they were facing, it would be best if their strongest backup, Kimiko, was present.

She was sure Kimiko would _thoroughly_ disagree and later beat her to a pulp for ignoring a call for aid from their future Clan Head's teacher.

Of course, that implied that Kimiko survived whatever horror had befallen her. And, as she neared the bridge builder's house, a chill went down her spine as she surveyed the shattered front door. Hopping off, she landed softly in a squat, ready to draw her scroll and lay a beatdown if needed, before widening her eyes in shock as she observed the ruined interior of Tazuna's home.

Still standing, pierced all over by melting icicles, was her clansman. The bridge builder's family stood nearby, still frozen in place.

Immediately, Hikari's thoughts went to her adopted clansman, Yuki. This scenery had all the tell-tale signs of Hyoton being used, but as far as she knew, Yuki had been the last survivor of that cursed clan from Kiri. Or so their investigation had concluded before her Aunt Nana adopted the boy into the clan.

But if the scenery before her said anything, it was that their conclusions were dead wrong. There was another Hyoton user out in the wild, and this one was most definitely _not_ on their side!

Dashing forward, she ignored the fallen bodies of the two mercenaries Kimiko had obviously dispatched with relative ease, judging from their wounds. Standing by Kimiko's erect body, she went for one of the icicles to pull it out before stopping herself. There was no way of knowing whether that would help, or just hurt Kimiko even more. Worse, the icicles were melting, so there was a high probability that if she tried to pull at one, it could break and shards would make her wounds worse.

Plan B it was, then.

Eyes narrowed, she concentrated her chakra control and flipped through the appropriate hand seals, ending on Tora. Holding one hand in a half-tube shape in front of her mouth, she blew softly and allowed her elemental chakra to take the form of a soft plume of flame, making sure to aim it right above the icicles so as to not disturb their position.

Thankfully, it seemed that the chakra enhancement in the ice had faded away, as she saw her flames have immediate effect on the icicles. Even as she started to feel her sandals get wet from the accumulated ice, she continued carefully melting of the icicles, only stopping once she was done and Kimiko began swaying from the sudden loss of impaled objects.

Grabbing onto her collapsing clansman, she swore as she watched even her frozen wounds thaw, meaning Kimiko would soon be losing a _lot_ of blood if she didn't find a way to fix her. "Don't take Sora, they said," she grumbled as she lay Kimiko on the ground, having also melted the ice encasing her feet. "Why would you need a medic on a C-rank, they said!"

Unravelling her scroll of seals, she quickly checked for the medical section and frowned. All of the seals she had at her disposal required substantial concentration and _a lot_ of chakra. She wasn't too worried about the former, but she _had_ just summoned two giant eagles _and_ come out — relatively unscathed — from a fight. Would it be wise to drain her reserves even further before going out to meet Zabuza and his minion in battle?

_Gah. Screw it._

Biting her inner cheek in frustration, she ran her hands through the hand seals described by the scroll, focused her chakra, and lay her hands on Kimiko's broken body. "Kami, this is going to _suck_. _Chiyu __F__ūin!_" she mumbled, before wincing as she felt her chakra start draining at a rather alarming rate.

"Oh, Sora's going to _kick my ass_ after this one..." she groaned as she kept her focus on pouring her chakra into Kimiko. The Regeneration Seal was, in truth, the Uzumaki Clan's answer to having a limited amount of medics in their family. It worked by incorporating a conversion seal that took the user's chakra and converted it into healing chakra, which theoretically meant anyone could become a field medic.

With one little — okay, so maybe not so little — drawback: it drained chakra like a _bitch_.

Grossly inefficient, the Regeneration Seal did its job as advertised, but the conversion rate was _abysmal_; practically _four_ units of regular chakra for _one_ unit of healing chakra. Which, of course, meant that anyone with less than Kakashi-level reserves was pretty much screwed, because they'd be fully drained before they got more than a decent wound healed.

Fortunately, the Uzumaki had never been known for having small reserves.

Hikari watched, sweating bullets as she felt her chakra drain, as Kimiko's injuries slowly closed up. Even her feet, which had turned frostbite-purple, had regained its normal colouring as Hikari's sacrificed chakra worked its magic. Each gaping hole had begun to restitch itself, and she could see muscle and tissue slowly regenerate. Good thing, too, because at this rate, she was sure she'd pass out before Kimiko was back in fighting shape.

That was why, upon seeing Kimiko's eyelids flutter open, followed by a well-deserved groan, Hikari was glad to finally cut off the technique. As she'd feared, she was _way_ outside combat readiness now. If she tried to go after Zabuza and his masked minion, she was sure she'd be easily swatted aside.

Of course, any relief she felt summarily evaporated when she noticed Kimiko's eyes sharpening, then mould into a glare directed at her.

"Where is Naruto-sama?"

Oh.

_Right_. Kimiko's whole "protect-Naruto-or-die-trying" thing!

Suddenly, facing Zabuza and his skilled subordinates didn't seem _quite_ as suicidal. Not when compared to facing a pissed off Kimiko.

No. Wait. Maybe if she _explained_ her reasoning, her cousin wouldn't fly off the handle and murder her for leaving the future Clan Head in danger, while rescuing her own hide!

"I _said_," Kimiko repeated slowly, sounding more dangerous with every syllable. "_Where. Is. Naruto. Sama?_"

Or not.

Refusing to make eye contact, Hikari just looked over at the destroyed doorway and quietly cursed not having been given the sweet excuse of being encased in ice at the moment, much like Tsunami and Inari were. At least _then_, Kimiko wouldn't have a chance to severely maim her!

"Well...uh..." she started, swallowing deeply in mounting fear. "_Maybe_ he's on the bridge?...and _maybe_ Kakashi sent a warning beacon?...and _maybe_ Zabuza and his minion are probably giving them trouble?" she ventured. "And _maybe_ I came here instead because I thought they could handle it and you were in trouble?"

Hikari could only wonder how on earth she suddenly found herself nursing an aching stomach as Kimiko towered over her, her clenched fist raised and her expression, enraged. _Clearly_, Hikari had miscalculated regarding her cousin's reaction to being saved.

"You did _what_?!" Kimiko hissed furiously. "Naruto-sama is our top priority, Hikari!" she snapped at the younger girl. "Our lives are meaningless beside his safety! What on earth were you thinking?!"

Hikari said nothing, knowing that even if she insisted she did it because she couldn't stand the idea of Kimiko dying, the older girl wouldn't understand. Or rather, she'd bury whatever gratitude she really felt and would lash out.

Like right now, in fact.

She braved the older girl's glare as Kimiko obviously struggled to keep her fury in check. She watched as Kimiko checked her body for wounds, or scars, and frowned upon not seeing any. "You used the Regeneration Seal, didn't you?" Kimiko asked softly.

Hikari nodded, wincing as her stomach flared up from Kimiko's punch.

"How combat ready are you?"

"I'd be in the way," Hikari answered honestly. Even if Kimiko hadn't punched her, the assessment would've stayed the same, really. After all, the Regeneration Seal had taken a lot out of her. In hindsight, she probably _should_ have packed a few soldier pills.

Kimiko frowned at her, before nodding. "Understood. Stay here with Tazuna's family," she ordered before glaring at her again. "And don't think our conversation here isn't over, Hikari. We _will_ speak of your dereliction of duty once Naruto-sama is safe."

Hikari didn't doubt that for a moment. The older girl would likely see her reported before the Elders, no doubt in search of corporeal punishment for having allowed the future Clan Head go off on his own, so to speak.

Any resentment she might've felt over that realization was tempered by pity, however. While Kimiko was right to demand punishment for leaving the Clan Head to his devices in a crisis situation, it was also proof of Kimiko's lack of trust in said boy.

She watched silently as Kimiko dashed out of the house, chakra enhancing her leg muscles to allow her to move faster, even as a large explosion rocked the area.

Hikari winced as she dragged herself over Tsunami and Inari's frozen selfs and slowly went through the necessary hand seals. That hadn't sounded good, and knowing Kimiko, this would just infuriate her even further.

As she breathed fire once more, this time seeking to defrost their unfortunate hosts, Hikari silently prayed that nothing else would go wrong.

Fat _fucking_ chance.

* * *

><p><em><strong>At the bridge...<strong>_

Naruto swore to himself as he slowly regained consciousness and began getting up. Loose debris and dust fell off him as he did so, only slightly aware that he'd fortunately landed on what seemed to be a broken piece of the bridge's main structure, now half-lodged in the water.

Wincing as daylight assaulted his eyes, he raised his arm protectively, trying to clear his sight and regain some measure of situational awareness. Had Zabuza died in the explosion? Had Tazuna?

A chill went down his spine. Had his _team_?

As though he'd been suddenly bathed in frigid water, he felt reality snap into focus as he realized the ongoing danger he and his team were in. He might've liked to play fast and loose back in Konoha because it was fun, but even _he_ knew when to get his himself into gear.

...Admittedly, somewhat because Takeshi had worked his ass over trying to _literally_ pound some discipline into his head.

Filial beatings aside, Naruto quickly scanned his immediate area for any signs of his team or the enemy. Or Tazuna. Couldn't forget the reason they were here, either!

His quick observation confirmed one thing for him: the bridge was, for most intents and purposes, still intact. Only the most recent construction had been damaged by the explosion, due to the load-bearing beams not having been constructed for the most recent stretch. The rest of the bridge, on the other hand, had merely suffered a few chunks of broken road or other, similar superficial damage.

Naruto had to hand it to the old man: he definitely knew his craft!

Regrettably, however, he noticed that the section of the bridge he'd landed on wasn't too big, and the floating debris all around told him the blast radius was substantial enough to warrant some concern for his friends and sensei. He could only hope that they hadn't fallen into the water unconscious..

Taking a deep breath, he was about to shout for the others when a hand grasped at his ankle. Jumping in surprise, he spun on his heel, hand reaching for a kunai, when he stopped, mid-action, seeing Kakashi lying on the floor, one finger over his mask in the universal shush gesture.

Crouching next to his team leader, Naruto quickly scanned his superior's body for any apparent wounds, which the cyclopedean ninja quickly noted.

"I'm fine," the man stated briefly, wincing a little as he dragged himself into a seating position. "A few scratches and bruises."

"Where's Kiba? Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked quickly, taking his sensei's word for it.

Kakashi glanced around, his nose twitching a little under his mask. Kinda like he was...smelling?

He followed Kakashi's gaze as the jounin turned to look at a pile of debris and pointed. "Kiba and Hinata are over there," he said, subtly wincing as he got up. "Help me get them out."

It never occurred to Naruto to ask _why_ Kakashi needed his help; after all, the man was a jounin, and a little debris clearing should've been a cinch. In this chaotic situation, however, Naruto had opted for a simple "do as ordered" mentality.

As predicted, both of his Genin comrades were under a pile of rubble, with Kiba having lain on top of Hinata to protect her from as much of it as possible, much to the Inuzuka boy's credit. Seeing them motionless, however, made Naruto feel like his stomach had bottomed out, though this was quickly alleviated when Kakashi pronounced them both unconscious, rather than dead.

Dragging them out from under the rubble, Naruto and Kakashi let them lie side by side as they took stock of the situation. Tazuna was still missing, for one, and the missing nin were nowhere to be seen. Typically, this would've made the perfect instance for them to attack, which was why this sudden peace and calm was so unusual.

"Something's wrong," the future Uzumaki Clan Head said seriously.

Kakashi nodded, pleased to see that his student had caught on to the severity of the situation. "Yeah. You were up before me; did you see Tazuna by any chance?" he asked.

Naruto shook his head, starting to make his Shadow Clone hand seal. "I could comb the area, though?" he suggested, the technique on the tip of his tongue.

Kakashi, however, shot that down with a quick shake of his head. "Save the chakra," he ordered. "Zabuza and his subordinate are probably somewhere around here, still. We can't afford to waste chakra while they're on the prowl."

"Then how are we finding the old man?" Naruto asked, rather stubbornly. Now that his teammates were out of immediate danger, his altruistic mind had reverted to concern for the old bridge builder. He'd be lying if he didn't feel some admiration for the civilian, who despite a lack of any martial skill, had opted to defy a man with a small army at his disposal.

Kakashi glanced around with his visible eye before sighing. "Well, let's think about this," he told Naruto calmly. "Think: if we can't see Tazuna, what's the most likely scenario?" he asked.

Naruto scrunched his face, a little annoyed at the idea of sitting around and _talking_ the problem out instead of initiating a widespread manhunt. "He's in the water?" he offered.

Kakashi shrugged. "That's the most basic answer, sure," he conceded. "But think deeper. Zabuza needs proof, probably, that he killed the bridge builder. Gato's not the kind to just take a missing nin's word for it," he noted absently as he looked down at his two injured Genin. "So even if he fell into the water, Zabuza would have him, most likely."

Naruto's head fell as he curled his hands into fists at his sides. "So...we failed?" he asked, dejectedly.

Kakashi eyed him for a moment silently before turning his attention back to the Genin. "Hikari-san and Kimiko-san didn't show up when I sent the signal, so they're probably under attack, too," he remarked. "Kiba and Hinata are in no shape to travel, and even if I could fight Zabuza and his subordinate at the same time, if Gato and his mooks are around, it might be too much even for me," he analyzed, subtly putting a hand on his left thigh.

While he'd made a big show of being fine for Naruto, the truth was that he'd felt something tear there, and fighting while having his mobility compromised was a fool's gambit. He sighed as he stared back at the half-finished bridge. "It might be best if we went back to Konoha," he admitted truthfully.

It would've been the sound, strategic thing to do. Had any other team gotten this mission, he had no doubts they would've packed up long ago and called it quits. That his team had managed to come even this far spoke highly of their skills...but reality was a harsh mistress, and the good guys didn't always get to win.

Unfortunately, said considerations meant nothing in the face of Naruto's unbridled optimism and selfless sense of duty.

"Like hell!" the blonde shouted angrily, punching his open palm. "We promised Tazuna we'd help him! We can't just pack up and leave him to get killed!"

Kakashi sighed. He'd had a feeling his loud-mouthed student wouldn't give up so easily, however much he'd hoped otherwise. "Naruto, getting your teammates to safety is our first and foremost duty," he reminded his charge sternly. "I appreciate we gave Tazuna-san our word, but we've been outmaneuvered this time. There's no shame in admitting defeat."

He winced internally. His old self would've vehemently disagreed with that statement, particularly considering the circumstances that led to his father's suicide. Even so, he had to make Naruto understand that living to fight another day was a valid strategy. Especially when one's comrades were on the line.

Naruto, however, was obviously torn by his sensei's statement. On the one hand, he _did_ want to go and take his friends to safety. There was no telling what other traps Zabuza had planned ahead with, and he knew he'd never forgive himself if something horrible happened to either of them.

On the other hand, he'd wanted to prove to Inari and the people of Wave that standing up and fighting back wasn't an impossibility. Would he really return to Konoha with his words meaning nothing?

His gaze went from his friends to the bridge, then back. Meanwhile, Kakashi sat silently by his unconscious students, knowing he could just take the choice out of Naruto's hands with a simple order. However, he _really_ wanted for the blonde to make his own mind. This was an impossible choice, he knew, and there was no better moment to make Naruto grow up a little by forcing him to choose between two morally ambiguous choices.

Even so, he couldn't help but feel some anticipation grow inside him as he saw Naruto sigh and open his mouth to answer. Would he choose his teammates? His mission? These were the sorts of decisions that defined shinobi.

"Naruto-sama!"

Kakashi winced a little when he heard Kimiko approach, the redhead landing close by, a fierce gaze in her eyes. Unlike when they'd left her, she was now garbed in her usual yoroi armour, looking ready for battle. This was, of course, rather confusing to both males, as she'd been still recovering from her wounds when they left her.

"Kimiko-nee!" Naruto cried out, surprised, while Kakashi merely observed her silently. No limps, no winces...she was completely healed up. He knew for a fact that she hadn't been overstating the damage done to her body by her fight with Zabuza, so how had she recovered so quickly?

"I'm glad to see you alright, Naruto-sama," she stated flatly as she glanced over to Kakashi and the fallen Genin. "It seems you alone came out unscathed." She actually sounded _pleased_ at that.

"I just heal quickly," Naruto said, before turning to Kakashi. "Now that Kimiko-nee is here, we can go after Tazuna, right?" he asked excitedly.

Kakashi frowned as he realized the boy was right. With Kimiko on hand, and apparently fully healed, they actually had a chance to defeat Zabuza and his minions. Between him and Kimiko, he was sure they could fight off the missing nin, while Naruto escorted his friends back to the house.

"Where's Hikari-san?" he asked Kimiko instead, buying himself some time to think.

"Recovering," Kimiko answered tersely. "She utilized a dangerous technique to allow me to recover from my wounds, after Zabuza and his subordinate ambushed me," she explained. "Undoubtedly, she is seeing to the bridge builder's family as well."

Kakashi nodded, feeling a little relieved. If Hikari was back at the house, then they had someone at least at Chunin level around to protect the kids. Especially if he sent back a soldier pill.

"Alright, then we should split up," he stated decisively, making Naruto grin. "Kimiko and I will go after Tazuna while you—"

"No."

Kimiko's flat interjection completely cut off Kakashi mid-plan, prompting both conscious males to snap their heads in her direction. Unapologetic, the woman crossed her arms over her armour and stared them both down.

"This mission has gone on far enough," she stated sternly. "Hatake, you put Naruto-sama in enormous, unwarranted danger with just seeing this mission through to the end, and Naruto-sama, you do _not_ have the skill to fight Zabuza _or_ his subordinate. You cannot be so reckless with your life!" she chastised the blonde.

"We can't just leave Tazuna behind like that!" Naruto protested vehemently, sweeping his hand out angrily. "We promised to help him!"

"That is irrelevant," Kimiko replied, frowning. "Naruto-sama, your life is worth more to the Clan than the old man's. It is my duty to protect you, even if it means _taking_ you back kicking and screaming."

Kakashi eyed the two Uzumaki clansmen warily, wisely deciding not to intervene in this conversation, which seemed a long time coming. Clearly, there was more at hand than met the eye.

"Like hell, Kimiko!" Naruto snapped, dropping the honorific as his temper began to flare. "I don't care what it takes, I am _not_ leaving these people behind when I can help!"

His cousin's frown turned into a glare as she stepped up to him and stared him down. "These people are ungrateful wretches, Naruto-sama!" she snapped right back. "Content to live off of Gato's scraps, so long as their miserable lives are left alone! They do _not_ deserve your pity!"

"And so, what? Just because _you_ don't like them, we run?!" her future Clan Head challenged her. "What happens the _next_ time we come across someone who needs help? Do we just abandon _them_, too?!"

"If it saves your life, yes!"

"Then I'd rather _die_!" Naruto yelled at her, shocking his cousin as his irises briefly flashed red. Even Kakashi, who'd been content with just standing by, was immediately ready to subdue his student as he felt a brief flare of the Kyuubi's chakra.

"Naruto-sama?" she asked, still a little shocked at his vehemence.

Said blonde was breathing heavily, adrenaline pumping through his system. "I only know a little about what happened to you, Kimiko-nee, so even though I don't know all the details, _I_ _get it_," he said through gritted teeth before grabbing hold of one of her armour's plates and pulling her to him, glaring right up at her. "You got hurt. People are trash. Yada, yada, yada. _Get over it_."

This time, it was the redhead's turn to flare up, but she was just as quickly shut down when Naruto tugged on her armour again, signifying he wasn't done. In all likelihood, the only reason he wasn't unconscious and hanging off her shoulder by this point was the sheer ballsiness of his actions.

"You think you're the only one in the Clan who suffered?" he asked her angrily. "What about jiji? He saw _thousands_ of us die! What about obaa-chan? She was right there with him! Even that asshole, Raiden, lost his dad! Hikari-nee doesn't even remember _her_ parents all that well, and you know neither Natsu or Takeshi do, either!"

"But they still laugh!" he continued, tugging again at his cousin's armour, his gaze fixed on her blank stare. "They still live! They still trust! And you know what? Despite all the crap you put them _all_ through, they all still _love_ you, Kimiko-nee!" he added fiercely.

She glared at him. "I don't need your—"

"Shut up," he cut her off again. Kakashi could see her fists tightening, undoubtedly restraining herself from inflicting great bodily harm on her future Clan Head. Honestly, he was torn between admiration and frustration at his student's nerve. Lesser men would've just caved in at the redhead's first glare and left it at that. But not Naruto, apparently.

"I don't care if you want our love or need it; you're family, damnit!" the blonde stated fiercely. "And I heard the stories about Uzushio! We didn't just abandon people because it was inconvenient! We prided ourselves on doing the right thing!" he reminded her. "So tell me, Kimiko-nee, how is leaving doing the right thing?!"

"You are my future Clan Head, I must protect you above all else." she stated neutrally, still unbowed.

Naruto stared her down for a moment, then let go of her armour and turned away from her, taking a few steps towards the rest of the bridge. He only spared Kakashi a glance. "Kakashi-sensei, I'm sorry, but even if taking Hinata-chan and Kiba back to the house is the right thing to do as shinobi and as a friend...leaving Tazuna to Gato isn't the right thing to do as _people_," he said as he crossed his fingers in a familiar seal. "I'll make a few clones to help take them back to the house, but I'm going after Tazuna, even if I have to do it _alone_."

Kakashi eyed his student's back silently, silently marvelling at his student's decision. Had this been his answer to his previous question, he wondered? It was almost remarkable how like his father he'd turned out, if so.

_Kakashi, those who stray from the path of justice have no courage, but under the wing of a strong leader..._

"Cowardice cannot survive," he mumbled to himself, remembering his old sensei's adage. Sighing, he got up, wincing a little at his aching hip, and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Don't tire yourself out, Naruto. Let's take Hinata and Kiba back to the house, _then_ go after Tazuna."

"Hatake!" Kimiko snapped, unappreciative of his willingness to enable Naruto.

"I thought you said he was in danger of being killed?" Naruto asked his teacher suspiciously, ignoring his cousin's protest.

Kakashi gave him a simple eye smile. "Oh, he still is," he acknowledged. "But Gato's the sort of scum that likes putting on a big show. Tazuna told me the last time he had his hands on a rebel like him, he had the man tortured in the main plaza. Trust me, Naruto. We've got enough time."

"Hatake, I will _not_ let you take him there!" Kimiko interjected then, thumb already bleeding and ready to summon a weapon.

Kakashi frowned at the younger woman, but other than a slight tensing of his muscles, he made no move to prepare for a fight. Nor did he have to, as his sole conscious student got in between him and Kimiko.

"Kimiko-nee," the boy said seriously, no longer staring at her with anger in his eyes — only steeled will. "I get that the Clan's hopes are riding on me. Don't think I don't," he told her. "But if being Clan Head means being a coward who abandons people when they need him the most, then I want no part of it."

Kimiko goggled at him, speechless. Naruto took the opportunity to jump away, landing roughly on top of the ocean water and running back towards Tazuna's home, two Shadow Clones behind him, each one carrying one of his injured teammates. Kakashi, meanwhile, spared his fellow Konoha-nin a pitying glance.

"Someone I knew once told me," he said. "Those who don't follow the rules are trash, but those who abandon their teammates are even worse than trash."

Kimiko grunted absently as she looked away, clearly torn by her charge's unwillingness to drop the mission cold.

"Naruto reminds me of him," Kakashi ploughed on, unfazed by her disinterest. "He's a little rough around the edges, and maybe he could stop to think things through a little more often, but he's a good person, and a fair one. Aren't those the most important traits for a Clan Head to have?" he asked rhetorically, before following after his student via _Shunshin_.

Kimiko was left there, standing in the midst of the ruined portion of the bridge. She angled her head upwards, looking up at the shining sun, reflecting on what just happened.

And for the first time in so many years, she actually began to doubt herself .

* * *

><p><em><strong>Tazuna's House...<strong>_

"You're sure about this?" Hikari asked cautiously as she felt her chakra return full force, thanks to Kakashi's graciously offered soldier pill.

"Do we have a choice?" Kakashi asked right back as he finished dressing his hip wound. "Zabuza covered his bases. Even though most of us are fine, he's made it abundantly apparent that underpowering even _one_ of our fronts will result in another ambush. This is the most logical choice."

"Which means Zabuza will be expecting it," Hikari pointed out archly. "You're hurt, Kakashi, and no offence to Naruto-sama, but Zabuza's direct subordinate is no slouch. Whoever he was, he managed to take down Kimiko-nee, and that's no easy feat. Even if she _was_ injured."

"Fortunately for us, Naruto doesn't have to _fight_ Zabuza's henchman for long; I just need him occupied while I take down my target." Kakashi said as he curled his hands into fists and spread them out again, stretching his fingers out. If he had to resort to that technique, it always helped to keep one's fingers nimble.

Hikari sighed explosively as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. This mission had gotten all fucked up remarkably fast. In fact, in all her days as a shinobi, she'd never seen a situation escalate quite so quickly. Not even in the stories her relatives told her about _their_ careers.

In hindsight, they were probably white washing their experiences to cut out the mood killers. Figures.

"Kakashi-sensei."

Both shinobi turned to see Naruto coming down the stairs, grim-faced. "How are they?" Kakashi asked him simply.

"Sleeping it off," Naruto reported, smiling at his cousin as she patted him comfortingly on the head. "Hey, Hikari-nee. I heard you kicked ass?"

Hikari smirked. "Damn right I did. Ain't that easy to take down a summoner, you know!"

Naruto snorted before looking at Kakashi. "I'm ready, sensei," he said determinedly. Personally, Kakashi somewhat doubted that, but at the same time, he figured Naruto _was_ as close to ready as he ever would. If nothing else, his fighting spirit was at an all time high.

The cyclopedean ninja nodded. "Alright. Let's head off, then." he ordered as he turned to leave the house. "Hikari-san, I'm counting on you to look after my students."

The redhead nodded silently as she watched the man leave the house, followed closely by Naruto. However, before he was able to leave outright, she quickly closed the distance between them and hugged him tight from behind, surprising him.

"Hikari-nee?" he asked, stunned.

"Stay safe, Naruto-sama," she told him softly. "I heard about what you said to Kimiko..." she added, making him tense. "_Please_, stay safe. Our Clan _needs_ you. Please don't take that hope away from us."

Naruto's gaze became downcast as he listened to his older cousin become uncharacteristically solemn. And the truth of it was? He knew she was right. Even if he'd mouthed off to Kimiko about not becoming Clan Head or whatever, he knew he couldn't just rob his family of the possibility of reunification. He wasn't that heartless.

"I will, Hikari-nee," he promised, before following after Kakashi.

Hikari sighed, placing a palm on her cheek, as she watched both of them disappear out of sight, undoubtedly ready to inflict great bodily harm on those who'd hurt their comrades and threatened the freedoms of an entire country. Heroic, really.

Yet, not for the first time, she somewhat wished someone _else_ had taken on this mission and handled the situation. While she was much more willing to give Naruto some breathing room to grow as shinobi, she had no doubts that more than a few dissenting voices would make her life hard once they got back, and by consequence, Naruto's.

Well, if there was _one_ good thing that could possibly come out from this messed up situation, it was that someone had actually stood up to Kimiko, for once. Even Raiden might appreciate the guts it took to do that.

"They're going to die."

Ah, yes. The _other_ pain in her ass.

As expected, Inari was standing at the foot of the stairs, glaring at her. His run-in with Zabuza and his ice-wielding minion hadn't done the boy's pessimism any favours. If anything, it seemed to become even more entrenched.

Frankly, she was starting to regret defrosting the little brat.

Unfortunately, Tsunami went into shock soon after being rescued, due to the news Kakashi brought that her father had been taken by Zabuza. Poor woman. Hikari couldn't blame her for taking the news badly; first she'd lost two husbands...now her father? Kami, it was like the universe adored using her as its own karmic punching bag!

What this unfortunate turn of events also meant, however, was that there no longer was anyone keeping Inari's belly-aching in check.

"Shouldn't you be at your mother's side?" Hikari asked calmly as she kept her watch on the doorway. She really didn't want to turn to face the kid, not trusting herself not to throttle him at this point.

The boy said nothing at first, making her hope that he'd decided to leave this as a one-off. Said hope was quickly dashed.

"You should've just stayed away," Inari said accusingly. "Now grandpa's going to die, and mom is going to cry, and everything's going to get worse!" his voice rose as his steps grew closer. No doubt he felt braver talking to a person's back than to their face.

"Your grandfather would've been dead if we hadn't come." Hikari pointed out simply.

"You don't know that!" Inari snapped. "He could've just given up! He could've left Gato alone! No one wins against him! Why did you have to come here and mess up our lives?!"

Hikari closed her eyes and mentally started counting; Elder Keisuke had always told her to try the method out whenever she felt her temper might get out of control.

Hopefully, Inari would see her non-responsiveness and take the hint to leave her alone.

No such luck.

"At least they'll die with grandpa," Inari said nastily. "Maybe _then_ you outsiders will learn."

Nine...ten...

Nope.

In a flash, Hikari had Inari by the front of his shirt and off the floor, hanging a good three feet off the ground as she glared fiercely at the child. It wasn't in her nature to take out her anger on children, but this one had insisted on pushing her buttons...and wishing ill on the very people who wanted to save his grandfather just pissed her off.

"Listen here, _brat_," she said icily. "You're going to shut up, now, and you're going to go back up to your mother's room and keep her company. Because that's what good little sons do. Understood?"

"You won't hurt me," Inari said defiantly. Strange, how the boy's courage seemed to pick the dumbest moment to surface.

Hikari's glare never lessened. "You're right, I won't. I don't waste my time on _trash_," she spat at him, the venom in her words making him wince. "You think you've had it rough? Give me a break. By the time I was your age, I already knew how to kill a man, because otherwise our Clan's enemies would kill _me_!"

She drew him closer, still scowling at him. "I've watched uncles, aunts, and cousins die _before_ I was even ten years old! Kimiko-nee _watched _her parents get killed! Naruto-sama was alone and shunned by _everyone_ until we found him and brought him back to the Clan!"

"Your misery wouldn't measure up to an _hour_ of our lives!" she continued, before dropping Inari and glaring down at him. "You ask me, maybe the one who should've died in Kaiza-san's place should've been you," she added, ignoring the pooling tears in his eyes. "Your mother and grandfather told us all about him. How he was a courageous man. How he fought for what was right. A _real_ man."

"Fat load of good that did him!" Inari snapped back. "He's dead! Gato killed him like he was nothing!"

In an instant, Hikari was crouched at eye-level with him and poked him in the chest, hard, keeping her finger firmly planted into his chest. "Or did he _go_ to die so Gato wouldn't kill _you_, brat?" she asked.

Inari reeled back at the question. "Wha...?"

"Do you know how your grandpa convinced us to help?" she asked him sternly, frowning as she watched him shake his head. "Figures. You just judged us as optimistic idiots, right? Thought we were heading in blind?"

"Here's a news flash, kiddo; Kakashi and most of the team were all for leaving you cold," she told the child bluntly. "Your grandpa convinced us otherwise by pointing out that if we didn't help him, Gato would likely kill all three of you, just to make sure there were no loose ends."

Shock, followed by growing fear creeped up on Inari's face as he realized where Hikari was going with this. "Kaiza..."

"Probably gave himself up for you," Hikari finished, getting back up and rubbing the back of her head. To be honest, most of her anger had been rather transient. As much as the kid's words pissed her off, it wasn't anything she wasn't already used to, taking care of most of the orphans in the Uzumaki Clan. "Gato probably threatened you all, and Kaiza probably traded his life for yours. Now _that's_ a real man."

Hikari _had_ always found it strange that a man like Kaiza had been so easily taken down. The more she'd thought about it, however, the more she began to see a recurring theme in Gato's way of doing things.

A little digging also revealed that Kaiza wasn't just executed on a whim; from what she'd gathered, he'd been heading a local effort to overthrow Gato. After more direct efforts to silence the man failed, Gato had undoubtedly used the threat against his family to have the would-be rebel give himself up.

A pattern now repeated with Tazuna. Otherwise, why would Gato have sent the two mercenaries here?

Fortunately, they'd manage to deflect that particular move of his this time around, and since Zabuza and his minion hadn't taken the old man's family, that meant they were probably kept in the dark about this. She frowned.

Why would Gato keep his own minions in the dark? There was no logical reason for it, and it could've complicated things for Zabuza had Kimiko not taken care of them already by the time he'd shown up.

She frowned deeper. Something wasn't adding up. Why _would_ Gato keep his hired goons in the dark? The reason for such secrecy usually relied on instances of operational efficiency, but there had been none in this case. Unless..

She scowled. Of course. That fat, little...!

"W-What's wrong?" Inari asked, sniffling. Hikari blinked, having utterly forgotten she was still in the company of the world's whiniest problem child. Still, her words seemed to have had some effect on him, because that utterly defeated look had fled his visage.

"Inari," she stated seriously as she glanced at the stairs that would lead to the room holding Kakashi's Genin and Tsunami. "Is there anyone left in this village who would stand up to Gato?" she asked.

Inari looked away. Hikari had figured as much. She bit her nail. "Damn it." she growled. Kakashi wasn't familiar with the Uzumaki's signalling system, having avoided using Morse code in the event that their tattoo seal fell into enemy hands, and there was no telling what Kimiko was up to right now.

"I-Is grandpa in danger?" the boy asked. Obviously, he probably meant _more_ danger, but Hikari let that slide.

"If Gato's the little shit I think he is, then yeah," Hikari stated tersely. "Damnit, and I can't leave Kakashi's Genin here alone..."

Engrossed in her thoughts, she never noticed that Inari had quickly sped out of the house.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Village Square...<strong>_

Tazuna began to sweat profusely as he was dragged forward by Zabuza, his hands bound and his clothes torn by the bridge explosion. As heartbreaking as it had been to watch his hard work be damaged like that, he'd had to quickly reevaluate his priorities as Zabuza captured him and soon brought him to the Village Square, whose history he was _intimately_ familiar with.

It was the very same place Kaiza had died.

And, predictable as always, Gato was standing there, clad in his usual, overpriced kimono and haori, with two mercenaries that Tazuna didn't quite recognize. They certainly weren't the goons Gato had normally used for protection.

Goodness, they'd even re-erected a cross in the middle of the square, where Tazuna had no doubt his "punishment" would be inflicted! As brutal and imaginative as tyrants were, Tazuna couldn't help but feel that once they found their preferred method of hurting people, they became quite predictable.

Not that it made his current predicament any more tolerable.

"Tazuna, Tazuna, Tazuna," Gato greeted him condescendingly as he approached, his equally overpriced cane tapping against the dusty ground. "You should have listened to me, bridge builder. You should've sold when you had the chance."

Tazuna glared. Of course Gato had offered a good deal of money for the right to use the bridge exclusively, as part of his ongoing campaign to turn Wave into his personal playground. Tazuna had, of course, refused; as much as his family could've used the money, he hated Gato not just for the cruelty he'd inflicted on the island and his family, but for being a traitor amongst traitors.

Like Tazuna, Gato was a native of Wave, and Tazuna had known him when they were both much younger. Gato had always had dreams of making it big, and for a while, the residents of Wave had been glad to see a son of the battered island kingdom succeed.

And then he'd come back.

Gato had changed. He wasn't a young man with big dreams anymore; he was now an unscrupulous trader, willing to barter and trade in everything that could make a pretty penny, no matter how illegal or immoral it was. He went from being a source of pride, to a source of shame and anger. Even the Daimyo, to whom Gato had once paid homage as all good citizens did, was now firmly within Gato's pocket, living off what little revenue _Gato_ allowed the government to receive.

The neighbours who'd once known Gato in his youth, now regretted not drowning him when they'd had the chance.

Either way, Tazuna smirked at Gato's provocation. He knew he was about to die, but if that was to be his fate, he was going to make sure he went down swinging. "Why? The way I see it, I go down a hero, and you go down a super jackass," the bridge builder jibed, only to wheeze painfully as one of Gato's mercenaries planted his fist in his gut.

"Disrespectful of your betters as always, Tazuna," Gato sniffed derisively. "No matter. You won't be shooting your mouth off for much longer." He nodded to his bodyguards, who moved forward to take custody of the old man.

Only, they never got there, as Zabuza's gigantic blade suddenly swung down and blocked their way.

Gato, however, was unfazed. He had a feeling about why this was happening. "Is something the matter, Zabuza?"

The masked shinobi just glared at the short man. "I'm not some two-ryo hack, Gato. You want the old man? Pay up. Now."

Gato faced down the taller man with a glare, but then shrugged and motioned to his minions. "Hand it over," he said.

The two mercenaries exchanged a look before one of them went to the post and brought back a smallish case, which he opened before Zabuza, revealing neat stacks of currency notes.

The missing nin arched an eyebrow at the unusual method of payment. While it wasn't rare, by any means, paper currency wasn't widely used outside the Five Great Nations, mostly due to the fact that the minor nations usually couldn't back up their notes' worth with hard currency.

He frowned as he spotted the notes' backing stamp — the symbol denoting which country the notes were issued and were legal tender in. These had the kanji for Water — meaning if he wanted to trade them in for hard cash, he would need to revisit his old stomping grounds, as the other nations were understandably quite reluctant to accept foreign notes. Unlike the metal coinage seen throughout the continent, which held a rather steady value over time, currency notes were notorious for being easily valued and devalued according to their country's current economic situation.

Of course, returning to Mizu would just mean playing right into Kirigakure's hands. Which he was sure Gato knew.

Crafty little troll. He made a mental note to himself to check the slips once they were out of Wave; currency notes were also notorious for being easy to forge.

"Couldn't find a less dangerous place for me to cash in, Gato?" Zabuza grouched as he handed the now-closed case to Haku.

The businessman chuckled. It was one of those laughs that just grated on peoples' nerves, causing Zabuza to tighten his hold on Kubikiribocho's handle.

"Mizu's banking laws are less strict," Gato replied after getting his chuckle back under control. He then nodded to his mercenaries, who stepped forward to retrieve Tazuna. "Now, hand over my old friend here."

Zabuza eyed the old bridge builder, a flash of pity crossing his gaze, before shrugging and shoving him forward into the awaiting hands of Gato's mercenaries. "Tough luck, old man. Should've just moved away."

Even as Tazuna felt the two mercenaries drag him towards his inevitable doom, he decided not to let his captor have the last word. Glancing over his shoulder at the two missing-nins, he gave them a pitying look.

"A man with no home would never understand," he said simply as he was dragged to the post.

"Well said, gramps!"

Once again, Tazuna found his imminent doom suddenly aborted. This time, however, there was no gigantic blade to impede his killers' path, but rather two yellow blurs on either side of him right as Gato's flunkies' heads snapped forward, having been simultaneously kicked in the back of the head.

Falling forward onto his knees, having suddenly lost the mercenaries' steadying grasp, Tazuna looked back to see the blonde brat from the ninja team he'd hired standing there, two identical copies at his sides.

Gato reeled from the sudden intrusion. "What?!" he cried out, surprised, as he took a few steps back. His head quickly turned to face Zabuza, who seemed surprised as well. "Zabuza! We had a deal! Why are there still Konoha shinobi here?!"

Zabuza grunted, the only overt show of surprise he gave off. He obviously hadn't expected anyone to survive the bridge explosion. Still, if it was just a Genin…

Said thought was quickly debunked the moment he felt something sharp start stabbing into his back, prompting an instinctive _kawarimi_.

Reappearing nearby, he growled as he saw Kakashi standing there, the tip of the man's kunai dripping with his blood. Not one to be slow on the uptake, Haku was soon by his side, having dodged a slash from the cyclopedean shinobi.

"Should've checked for bodies, Zabuza," Kakashi said as he joined his reckless student in standing guard over Tazuna. The blood on his kunai glistened as he raised in it a defensive stance.

Naruto followed up by punching his fist into an open palm, a fierce grin on his face. "Now, we're going to kick your ass !"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Post-AN: <strong>Read and review, please!_

**_Note: As of December 17, 2013, this chapter has been revised._**


	18. Wave Arc: Wildcard

_**AN: **Holy crap, four months? Man, I've slacked off. All I can say about that is...work, work, work. Journalism's a demanding career, unfortunately (and fortunately), and it ate up a lot of my time. But with the holiday season over with, let's hope I can get a breather in at last and get back to writing, eh?_

_Also, two quick notes: I've uploaded revised editions of the previous chapters (some stuff added in, some taken out, some reworded), and I've made a decision on Haku. What that decision is I won't say till it happens, and nothing in this chapter or previous ones should be taken as a firm indication of where I'm going with this._

_Still no decision on pairings._

_Cheers,_

_Marquis Black_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Konoha, Fire Country…<strong>_

"How do you think they're doing?"

Shikamaru repressed a sigh of frustration as Ino voiced the question for the millionth time since they got back from their assignments and found out that the only team that hadn't arrived back was Kakashi's.

That had been a week ago, and he would've been lying if he said he wasn't somewhat worried as well. Asuma and Kurenai had done a good job at keeping their body language neutral, but Shikamaru had been perceptive enough to note a few anxious tells. Clearly, something had gone wrong. Yet, for whatever reason, no backup team had been sent.

Knowing he would have no way to help his friends, then, Shikamaru dove into the one hobby he had that allowed him to push aside all his worries — shogi.

To his amusement, Asuma had refused to play him this time around, as he always lost to the teen. Instead, he was using Sasuke as an acceptable replacement. The boy wasn't nearly on his level, but he was skilled enough to make Shikamaru pause every now and then.

Unfortunately, whenever Ino got on one of her worry benders, she managed to completely suck in his attention by repeating the question over and over until he gave in and answered.

"Hey, Shika, what if something happened to them?"

Case in point.

"They're fine, Ino," he told her flatly as he moved a piece on the board, prompting a frown from the class prodigy. "Asuma and Kurenai don't seem too worried. Why should we?" he lied smoothly. He knew neither Jounin were anywhere near relaxed about Team Kakashi's absence, but why stoke _that_ fire?

"Maybe they're lying."

He would've called the comment perceptive if he hadn't known Ino any better. She was reaching now, letting her imagination run wild in the absence of information. It came with the territory of being a giant gossip.

He watched Sasuke grunt absently at the comment, then slide a piece across the board. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. A gutsy move. Unfortunately for his classmate, also well within his expectations.

He pushed his piece and swiftly rendered Sasuke's move ineffective, prompting a scowl from the Uchiha heir.

"Even if they were, there's nothing we could do about it," he then told Ino, well aware that he was testing her patience with his preternatural calm. "If Kakashi and his team need help, they'll send in the cavalry. No use fretting about it."

He could practically feel Ino's heated glare. Likewise, he noticed Sasuke's lips pursing ever so slightly, and a few looks of disapproval from his other classmates. "They're your friends, too, Shika." Ino reproached him.

As much as they frustrated the life out of him, Shikamaru agreed with that assertion. Despite all the crap Kiba, Hinata, and Naruto put him through, testing his patience and whatnot, he was still quite fond of them. What Ino and the others failed to realize, however, was that having a genius intellect, Shikamaru had already gone through every stage of worry possible. At night, he would draw up contingency plans, ran through scenarios, pondered a visit to the Hokage to get some answers.

And just as quickly, his prodigious intellect would remind him how ineffective all of that effort was. So what if he could run scenarios and assign probabilities? His dad had probably pre-empted him already. So what if he knew how best to solve every scenario he'd imagined? The Hokage had probably already thought about it first. He was still just 12 years old, however mature he might be thanks to his shinobi upbringing. His voice, hierarchically speaking, was insignificant.

The others would understand that, eventually.

"That's why I have faith in them," he told Ino instead, loud enough for the others in their group to hear him. He dearly wished Asuma and Kurenai would restart their training sessions, instead of putting them on standby, in case Team Kakashi needed backup at any given moment. All this inaction was making his group way too jumpy for his peace of mind. "Whatever's happened, they're a team who'll be able to pull through."

Sasuke grunted again, though he seemed a little reluctant to do so. Apparently, the Uchiha heir agreed.

"Whatever happens, they've got a good queen to deal with the unexpected." Sasuke noted.

"Kakashi?" Sakura asked, as she edged closer to the game, her classmates emulating her as the group converged to discuss the issue. It took a moment for Choji to realize that Sasuke had spoken in shogi metaphors.

Shikamaru smiled to himself as he watched Sasuke move his piece at last and nodded at Sakura. True, Kakashi was a valuable piece, but he wasn't the queen he had in mind when he analysed the team. Kiba and Hinata were akin to knights, able to move powerfully, but with restrictions. Kakashi was akin to a tower, able to move almost completely freely.

Naruto, however, was where the deciding factor lay.

It wasn't any one thing in the blonde, however. He wasn't academically brilliant, or an unmatched fighter. In a straight, no holds barred fight, Naruto would probably lose against anything more dangerous than a C rank shinobi.

However, if Naruto forewent normal tactics, and just improvised, then the blonde had a tendency to tilt the odds in his favor with the most outrageous of plans.

He thought back to the retake exam. The plan to hide in a hole, in the middle of a clearing, had been brilliant, but unfeasible if not for Naruto's presence. Neither he nor Hinata had the blonde's versatility or endurance to carve out a large enough hole in the ground as quickly as he had. On the other hand, when he and Hinata had found him, Shikamaru had been surprised at how effortlessly Naruto had found a rational and well-hidden spot to hide in. It had taken some thinking to get the boy to believe he'd messed up.

And then there was his ability with Shadow Clones. Without Kage Bunshin, none of his plans for the second Genin exam would've worked. Asuma wasn't the type to go after his prey if he could lure them out, and it took him some effort and concentration to make the Kagemane work — much less work on the fly. Hinata, for her part, would've been petrified at having to face up against the Jounin.

Only Naruto's kage bunshin had given them the ability to succeed.

But no one would believe his assessment. Well, no one outside the Uzumaki clan, anyway. Naruto was still too young, too inexperienced to be credited with such feats. Most people still only remembered the loud troublemaker who sucked at school.

Hell, it had taken him actually paying attention to the blonde to realize what a wildcard he was!

Shikamaru repressed a sigh. He knew it would take some time for people to recognize his friend's worth.

And boy, would they be surprised.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Wave Country…<strong>_

Naruto gasped explosively as he landed roughly on the ground. Holy _crap_ was this guy kicking his ass!

"You should surrender, shinobi-san," the gentle, feminine, and eerily familiar voice informed him calmly. "As you can see, you are well outmatched."

No kidding.

Naruto could only wonder what had gone wrong as he slowly got back to his feet, his left arm bleeding a fair amount from the amount of senbon currently residing there. The fight had started off so well, too!

He and Kakashi had arrived, in a too-awesome-to-be-faked big damn heroes moment, and had adequately scared Gato enough for the tiny man to run off, shouting at Zabuza and his lackey to deal with Kakashi and him while he went for reinforcements.

So far, so good.

Then Kakashi and Zabuza had started fighting, leaving Naruto, by process of elimination, to deal with the masked lackey. No problem, right?

And then said lackey started kicking his ass.

To be completely honest, Naruto was starting to appreciate the hellish training sessions under Takeshi. It'd somewhat helped to build up his resilience to pain and bodily damage. Otherwise, he would have long since passed out.

Unfortunately, unlike said training sessions, there were no timeouts in the real world.

"Maybe...but I'm pretty stubborn," he groaned as he pushed himself off the ground and staggered back onto his feet.

Kami, he hoped Kakashi was having a better time than he was.

He craned his neck left, then right, sighing in relief as he felt it crack. "'sides, there's no way I'm leaving old booze and wrinkles over there to Shorty McSuck," he added with a lopsided, much-more-confident-than-he-felt grin.

"Oi!" said old man protested, even as he still remained tied to the wooden cross. "It's not that bad!"

"I could light up a match and you'd _explode_, old man!" Naruto called out over his shoulder, while his masked opponent stared at him silently. Or, at least, he assumed the guy was staring. He was pretty damn silent whenever he wasn't asking him to surrender.

"Your attempt at humor will not change your situation, shinobi-san," his opponent informed him evenly.

Naruto knew that, of course. Honestly, most sane shinobi just fought as professionally as they could, then got out. Bantering during fights was for amateurs.

Or Uzumaki.

While the original reason was to put the enemy off-guard while the Uzumaki clansman discreetly created seals, nowadays the Uzumaki just bantered during their fights for the sake of keeping the tension low. Also, nothing pissed off a committed opponent more than having their precious mission degraded with mockery.

And angry opponents meant one of two things: an unfocused opponent, or, worst case scenario, massive collateral damage.

Good odds, as far as the Uzumaki were concerned.

Right now, however, Naruto had to find a way to get past his opponent's ridiculous defenses. The way he used ice reminded him starkly of his cousin Yuki, but his original clan had supposedly been wiped out. It did occur to Naruto to ask his opponent about his skills, but first he had to somehow get enough of an advantage where asking would not be dismissed out of hand as an empty ploy to distract.

Bringing up his hands in a cross pattern and silently conjured up two shadow clones, almost sighing in exasperation as they promptly disappeared in a pop as two senbons ended each one.

"You seem to have run out of tricks, shinobi-san."

Shows what he knew.

Naruto had plenty of tricks still in his bag...though admittedly, he couldn't find the right opportunity to use them. His foe was just too strong to take on head-on.

Which, he figured, just meant he had to start thinking less one-dimensionally. If he couldn't go through the front, then…

Without another word, Naruto turned tail and ran.

For a moment, neither the enemy shinobi nor Tazuna did anything as they watched, surprised, as the blonde haired, defiant ball of energy pretty much galloped away from the scene of battle.

"Wha…?" the masked shinobi said, quite shocked at this turn of events. The boy had never come across as a coward. Heck, he'd said as much just seconds ago! Was this a trick? Was he planning something with the bridge builder?

"YOU FUCKING COWARD!"

Apparently not.

"GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT, YOU LITTLE SHIT!" said old man roared indignantly.

"HELL NO!" the boy yelled as he tried to vault over a small grouping of cargo boxes a pair of merchants had left behind as the fight started. The masked shinobi watched the boy yelp as he clipped a box and fell out of view with a firm thud. A second later, he was back in view. "DID YOU SEE THAT GUY FIGHT?! MAN, _FUCK THAT._"

"I WILL STRANGLE YOU IN YOUR SLEEP!"

"I'D LOVE TO SEE YOU TRY, YOU BOOZE HOUND!"

The masked shinobi just stared at the scene, unable to understand how such silliness was _actually_ occurring. Where was the boy's calm, defiant dignity from seconds ago? This was more like something out of a _manzai _play.

Nor did he know what to do. Should he attack the Konoha shinobi? After all, it seemed as though the boy had given up...so there was no real need to fight anymore, right? Right?

Wrong.

Without warning, the masked shinobi felt his feet get latched onto and his entire body pulled underground. The mercenary's eyes widened behind the mask. Had the boy executed a perfect _Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu_ without his knowledge? That wasn't a technique a Genin should know!

He paused then. He could feel his feet waggling in the air below ground. That wasn't part of the Double Suicide Decapitation Technique…

The shinobi gasped suddenly as he felt a fist slam into his gut. His _underground_ gut. All of a sudden, he realized the boy's argument with the old man had ended the moment he'd been dragged underground. Instead, _that_ Naruto was just smirking at him. But if that was the case, then who was hitting him underground?!

"It's not as fancy as the hole I made in the Genin exam, but it looks like it did the trick," said the blonde as he walked over to Tazuna and freed the old man from his bonds. "Sorry it took so long, gramps."

Tazuna stared at him for a moment before clocking him on the head once in a chastising manner. "Don't give me a heart attack like that, fool."

Naruto yelped at the hit, then narrowed his eyes and jabbed the old man in the side, prompting an 'oof' from the man. "It was all according to plan!"

A very, very _desperate_ plan, admittedly, but one that had worked nonetheless. Once he'd fallen out of view, he'd discreetly summoned a Shadow Clone and gotten them to dig their way underground towards the masked shinobi. The tunnel would be reinforced with chakra, like he'd been taught, to keep it solid and avoid a cave in, and the enemy shinobi would then be dragged down and dealt with underground.

Perfect, right?

He liked to think so.

That is, until he felt the air literally drop about a dozen degrees in temperature. Then, he winced as the clone's memories filtered in, and he realized that his plan hadn't exactly worked according to plan.

"Oh shit," Tazuna said flatly as he realized what was going on as well.

Apparently, his little underhanded trick had somewhat ticked off his opponent, who was somehow able to make the seals necessary to mould chakra, and was now managing to turn the very ground into ice.

Naruto eyed Tazuna, who eyed him back.

"You got a plan B, kid?" the bridge builder asked.

"That _was_ plan B."

Naruto winced as the temperature dropped another few degrees.

"Plan C, then?"

"You die in that one."

Tazuna stared at him. Was the boy seriously making jokes even now? Knowing his opponent was about to unleash a torrent of pain on them both?

"Plan D it is," Naruto breathed as he saw small icicles form around the enemy shinobi, who was apparently drawing the necessary moisture right out of the air. "RUN!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Elsewhere…<strong>_

Unlike Naruto's fight, Kakashi's was most definitely not something out of a comedy act.

Kunai and blade clashed fiercely as Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Hidden Mist, unleashed the full measure of his swordsmanship on the infamous Sharingan wielder.

"Splitting me up from Haku means nothing, Kakashi!" Zabuza gloated. "My subordinate is twenty times the measure of yours!"

Kakashi worried as much, truth be told. He'd left Naruto to fight the masked shinobi mostly out of trust that the boy wouldn't try to overdo things and seriously take on his opponent. If he knew anything about the boy, it was that Uzumaki Takeshi, his personal trainer, had beat it into him not to throw his life away.

That meant he had a very narrow window with which to deal with Zabuza, then the masked shinobi. Assuming Kimiko and Hikari didn't show up out of nowhere and help out.

It struck him as amusing that this was the one time in recent memory when he was actually in a position to _want_ their help.

"Naruto may be Genin, but he's no slouch," he lied, knowing his subordinate didn't stand a chance in hell in a straight fight.

Zabuza barked out a laugh. "Unless he's got a bloodline, whatever edge your brat's got, is nothing against Haku's Hyoton!"

Well crap.

Kakashi knew well of the Hyoton. Every seasoned shinobi knew of it. Back in the day, the Ice techniques of the Yuki Clan had been one of Water Country's most versatile and dangerous weapons. If one tried to take on a Hyoton user close to water, or in a humid environment, it was pretty much a guaranteed loss.

And they were currently on an island. Great.

Kakashi ducked under a swing and swept out his leg, hoping to catch the Swordsman off guard. No dice. Zabuza easily hopped over and swung down at him. Kakashi quickly rolled off to the side and threw four shuriken. Blocked with a mere tilt of Zabuza's blade.

Didn't matter, though. Kakashi jumped back and, taking advantage of Zabuza's need to cover himself, quickly ran through hand seals. He wasn't a big fan of overusing jutsus, but his opponent was not someone to take lightly.

'_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!_' he thought, deftly pulling down his mask low enough to blow out the flames. Zabuza clicked his tongue in irritation as he saw the fireball headed towards him, and quickly dodged to the side, also flipping through hand seals.

Without a word from the assassination specialist, a spiral torrent of water shot out of his outstretched palm, aimed right at Kakashi. The former ANBU turned on his heel to avoid the hit, drew five more shuriken from his pouch while he did so, and fired them off at Zabuza.

...who again deflected them with ease.

"_This_ is Konoha's famed _Sharingan no Kakashi_?" Zabuza taunted as he kept his blade in front of him, ready to deflect another barrage, if need be. "Either Konoha's full of shit, or you're holding back, Kakashi!"

To be honest, it was both.

Kakashi knew that his legend had probably been blown _way_ out of proportion by both enemy shinobi _and _Konoha; however, he _was_ also holding back. Not because he wanted to toy with Zabuza, but because he had to play this smart. A no-holds-barred shinobi match tended to get _very_ destructive, and despite having moved away from the town center, he and Zabuza were still too near to a residential area to afford breaking out the big guns.

He mused over the idea of summoning his ninken, but shot that down for now. Unlike what Hikari told him of her wolves, his ninken were mostly there for restraining and tracking. Not exactly attack material.

"Tch," Zabuza clicked his tongue irritably as he straightened up and slowly latched his sword onto his back. "How boring. If you're not going to put your all into this, Kakashi, then I might as well end it. As much as I like playing around, I like getting paid, more. _Kirigakure no Jutsu!_"

Kakashi frowned, recognizing the technique, but not budging around. Despite Zabuza's proficiency with Silent Killing, the cyclopedean shinobi had a burgeoning idea.

He sidestepped an overhead swipe that would've bisected him into two. A follow up attempt to stab the missing nin ended up hitting nothing but air. Holy crap; Zabuza really wasn't kidding about being good at being quiet!

Kakashi narrowed his eyes — yes, even the one behind his headband. If this idea — this crazy, insane idea that would have had him severely reprimanded by any sane superior officer — was to work, he would have to time this _perfectly_.

"You know, Kakashi," Zabuza spoke silkily from somewhere within the mist. "It's been...what? Ten? Fifteen minutes since we began our little private show here?"

"What about it?" Kakashi asked aloud, knowing the former Mist ninja knew exactly where he was anyway.

A dark chuckle answered him. "I'm just wondering how that little Genin of yours is doing right now. If I had to guess...not so..._hot_."

There was an ice pun in there, but Kakashi wasn't willing to acknowledge it, it was so awful.

Even worse, the missing nin had a point. He had to finish this, and he had to do so _now_.

To his opponent's credit, Kakashi was only able to dodge the gigantic blade thanks to the very faint feeling of air being displaced as the blade came down. Had it been anyone but him, Zabuza would've killed them on the spot.

Fortunately, he was almost as good as his legend made him out to be. And that was good enough to beat Zabuza.

At the very last second, Kakashi rolled forward out of the blade's reach, but he apparently miscalculated, as it managed to nick his back just a bit. He grunted softly as the sharp pain raced through his body, but quickly got over it. Zabuza, for his part, seemed delighted at the realization that he'd hit the cyclopedean Jounin.

"Getting slower, Kakashi? Pathetic."

Kakashi narrowed his visible eye. Good. Zabuza was getting cocky.

And he'd taken the bait.

Pulling down his mask, he quickly bit into his thumb and quickly ran through the appropriate hand seals before slamming his hand onto the ground, prompting a reaction from Zabuza.

"What the—_FUCK!_" the missing nin cried out as he realized what Kakashi had done. "Like I'd let you, Kakashi!"

Obviously, that meant he now had a huge blade swinging at his neck, but just before it could make contact, he saw the edge of it freeze in place, followed by a grunt of pain.

Turning around, Kakashi saw the mist start to dissipate, and Zabuza being held in place by his trusty dogs. Each one had bitten down on one of Zabuza's limbs, forcing the swordsman to stay in place.

"...You let yourself get slashed," Zabuza deduced immediately, narrowing his eyes in irritation. "I should've known."

"_Ma_...look at it this way," Kakashi mused as he grasped his wrist and charged up a Chidori. "If it weren't for that little trick, I'd have been in big trouble. There's not many who could've done the same to me."

Zabuza chuckled. It was his loss. "No more words, then. Do it, Kakashi."

Kakashi nodded and got ready to oblige the man. He was surprised, however. Unlike most missing-nin, Zabuza wasn't begging for his life, or trying to barter. He had accepted his defeat, and was ready to face his maker. Very unlike his kind.

Very dignified.

"_Raikiri_!" he grunted, feeling the electricity course through his hand as it became a supercharged, ultra-sharp blade. Very little in this world would be able to withstand a blow from him now.

"To be ended by the Lightning Cutter," Zabuza mused as he saw the mass of electric blue chakra in Kakashi's hand. "A good death."

Kakashi was silent, breathing deeply as he felt his chakra reserves deplete significantly. Had he been in tip top shape, he might've been able to pull it off rather easily, then three more times today. However, between his injury, the explosion at the bridge, and his worry for his student, he was a little worn out right now. "Goodbye, Zabuza."

He grunted as he readied to charge down the missing nin, arm raised and ready to tear a hole in the man's chest.

And then stopped, frozen in place, as the worst imaginable chakra he'd ever felt in his life made a repeat appearance.

The Kyuubi.

Something had gone very, very wrong.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Moments earlier…<strong>_

Naruto breathed heavily, feeling pain in all his extremities thanks to the innumerable senbons his foe had stuck him with, as he leaned against an alley wall, still hiding from the masked enemy shinobi. Next to him, Tazuna was wincing as he pulled out a senbon from his own shoulder. They'd only just managed to lose the enemy ninja by throwing some smoke bombs and ducking down a maze of beaten down alleyways.

"Well, this makes it official. This mission _sucks_," Naruto joked as he grasped another senbon from his arm and tore it out, clenching his teeth to avoid crying out. "Damnit, that hurts!" he hissed.

"Jeez, lad," Tazuna breathed in deeply before also pulling out another senbon. "Did you have to piss him off like that?"

"Can't help it, it's in my nature," Naruto defended himself as he peered out the corner down another alleyway. All clear. "I don't much like the serious stuff, so I joke a lot. Keeps it low tension, less suffocating."

He paused.

"Or, at least, that's what Hikari-nee said." he shrugged. Tazuna stared at him, like he was deciding whether or not to strangle him on principle.

He perked up as he recognized a snapping noise. One of his traps had been activated. The enemy shinobi was nearby. "Come on, we've got to move." he urged his charge as he led them down another alleyway.

"Where the hell are you taking me?" Tazuna demanded in a hiss as he followed the blonde ball of energy. "I've lived here all my life and _I_ don't recognize this place!"

"Good," Naruto said firmly, nodding. "If you're lost, then so's the masked dude."

Tazuna blinked as he realized the blonde had a point. Perhaps he wasn't as dumb as he looked...or acted.

For his part, Naruto was glad, for once, that his early life had sucked so hard. Being unwanted in most social places, he had taken to explore the seedier areas of Konoha, and one thing he'd learned is that slums were a maze of hidden alleys and a cornucopia of hiding places. As long as you had a surefire way to find the exit, the slums were one of the best places around to hide.

"Where does this lead?" he asked, pointing down an obscured alleyway.

"No idea."

"Good, let's go," he said, moving into said unknown ground. The shadows here were particularly long, given their position relative to the sun, meaning it made for some decent cover. It was far too bare for prolonged hiding, however. As soon as he thought it was safe to move, he'd have to move the old man elsewhere. Hopefully, this little cat and mouse routine would give Kakashi long enough to deal with Zabuza and come help him.

Of course, when he told this story to Kiba and Hinata, he was going to make sure that it sounded like a properly epic fight...not him running away from one.

"Oh shinobi-san~"

Naruto froze, staying perfectly still as he heard his foe's voice coming from nearby. Is possible, it sounded even _more_ feminine now, but with that dangerous twang that let you know that if you got caught, you were going to pay dearly.

And frankly, Naruto had no intentions of being any girl's punching bag!

Irony notwithstanding.

He unnecessarily gestured for Tazuna to stay quiet, which prompted a glare from the old man, and waited with soft breaths — a nice trick his cousins had taught him — while the sound of footsteps got closer. Then closer. Closer still.

Shit, had they been found out?! Naruto got ready to grab Tazuna and make a break for it. But, just as he was about to crack, he heard the steps move away, a distinctly feminine grumble of frustration heralding the shinobi's departure.

Naruto and Tazuna sighed in relief. Who knew his childhood survival skills would come in handy during his shinobi career?

"Let's go," Naruto spoke up. "We'll backtrack our way back near the central plaza. Kakashi-sensei will be looking for us."

Naruto had to give it to the masked shinobi, however; there weren't many around who could track him this well. Jounin had a harder time keeping track of him than this guy did — and that was saying something.

"You really think your sensei's done with that masked freak?" Tazuna asked softly as they carefully made their way back to the plaza. Tazuna grimaced as he apparently put his hand onto a wet surface.

Naruto grinned confidently over his shoulder. "Kakashi-sensei's the best! No way he'd lose against that dude!" he declared before ducking under a collapsed fence.

Tazuna smiled at Naruto's confidence, even if it was an empty boast, as neither really knew how Kakashi was faring. Still, a little confidence boost could go a long way.

The old bridge builder followed his younger companion down the network of alleyways, a little surprised at how easily the blonde was managing to navigate, despite being a foreigner. For once, however, he felt some measure of hope. The boy seemed to have figured out that the best strategy was to lay low and wait out Kakashi and Zabuza's fight, and hope for some reinforcements. A straight fight would get them nowhere.

"Come on; nearly there," Naruto spoke softly as they turned a final corner, leading them back to the plaza. They wouldn't actually go out into the open, but rather stay hidden nearby, to keep an eye out for Kakashi's return.

Up ahead, Naruto could see the alley's exit. About halfway there, however, he found a small, obviously unused path that ran along plaza's adjacent buildings, and led Tazuna there. "We should be good here," he whispered to his charge.

Tazuna seemed a little more confident now than before, but there was still a trace of worry on his face. Naruto could sympathize. The masked shinobi was obviously no slouch at tracking; how long would their detour really fool him?

"I'll send out shadow clones to get the guy off our trail," Naruto offered, prompting a relieved nod from Tazuna. Silently, he made four copies appear. Nodding significantly at them, he watched his body doubles silently make their way back into the labyrinth of backstreet alleys.

"There," he said with a smile, turning back to Tazuna. "That should do it."

At that moment, Naruto felt something wet hit his face, and he shut his eyes, grimacing as he felt it splatter near his eyes. He heard Tazuna give a pained grunt. "Ugh, what was that?!" he cried out indignantly. Blinking as he opened his eyes, Naruto rubbed off the wetness from near his eyes and froze as his sleeve came into view.

Blood.

Looking up, he saw Tazuna stumble as an arrowhead peeked out of his shoulder. Before Naruto could do anything, the bridge builder fell forward, landing roughly onto the ground. Three more arrows peppered the man's back.

Still in shock, Naruto's eyes went from the bridge builder's still body up the alleyway, towards the back alley crossroad, and beyond.

There, standing with smug smiles of accomplishment, were four of Gato's mercenaries, already reaching for ammunition.

"Looks like we get to share Gato's bounty, boys," the lead thug gloated as all four raised their bows again, metallic arrowheads glinting in the small amount of sunlight that penetrated the alley's shadows.

Naruto heard none of it. His gaze was once again fixed on Tazuna, who was lying silently on the ground, a small pool of blood already forming beneath him.

He'd failed.

Tazuna was dead. His client was dead. The only man in this entire rotting village willing to stand up to Gato, and he'd let him die.

His mind shut down and restarted. And shut down again. Blood thumped in his ears. His fist unconsciously tightened until his knuckles were white. His teeth slowly grit together, until, were it not for the adrenaline pumping through him, his jaw hurt.

"Time to die, punk," the lead thug gloated again as all four loosened their grip on the bowstring.

The thumping in his ears increased. He felt white hot rage bubbling with him, and a feral roar pierced through his mind, begging to be released.

Naruto yelled.

And everything went red.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Tazuna's House…<strong>_

Hikari shivered the moment the foul chakra swept over the area, feeling its effects as though it were a gust of chilled air. Her thoughts, naturally, turned immediately to Naruto. She may not have ever encountered a Bijuu before, but there was sufficient documentation amongst the Uzumaki scrolls to piece together what was happening.

"Naruto…" she whispered in concern.

She glanced back at the still forms of Kiba and Hinata. Both were beginning to stir, no doubt equally affected by the demonic chakra. For a second, Hikari contemplated leaving them with Tsunami and going to help Naruto...but the blonde would never forgive her if something happened to his friends in her absence. Bad enough she'd already lost track of Inari, causing Tsunami to be beside herself with worry.

She grit her teeth, and prayed Kimiko would arrive in time. She was jolted, then, as she felt her tattoo act up. As she felt the design pulse at irregular intervals, she quickly realized someone was coding in Morse. Her eyes widened, and she felt like slapping herself. Of course!

She waited for the messages to stop, realizing they were from Kakashi to Kimiko, and then got ready for her own blast. It was time to turn Gato's tricks against him!

* * *

><p><em><strong>With Inari…<strong>_

Inari was not a shinobi, so to him all chakra was the same. That was how it'd been for most of his life, and had he never met the Konoha shinobi, that would've been his mentality for the rest of his life.

But he had, and now he'd been exposed to something foul enough to make him retch in an alley near his next target. Wiping some drool from the corner of his mouth, the young boy shivered as the feeling of dread lingered. A day ago, it would've been enough to make him run back home, crying for mommy.

Now, however, he had something to prove, and a grandfather to save, and he wasn't about to let this stop him either.

Without further delay, he went to the door and knocked.

* * *

><p><em><strong>With Kakashi…<strong>_

"I know that chakra…" Zabuza spoke wide-eyed as he remained held down by Kakashi's dogs. "That's...Bijuu chakra!" he realized, snapping his gaze to his would-be executioner. "You brought a _Jinchuuriki_?!"

Kakashi understood Zabuza's consternation. Jinchuuriki were walking natural disasters, whether or not they controlled their tenants. Bringing one along for _any_ mission was a risky gambit. Especially if they were emotionally untrained.

"Wait...you're telling me that blonde punk was a _Jinchuuriki_?!" the missing-nin realized then. The revelation prompted him to struggle desperately against the dogs restraining him. "Oh, _hell_ no! Haku!"

Kakashi spun around, Chidori still activated, almost expecting Zabuza's masked partner to show up and skewer him. To his surprise, however, they were still very much alone...meaning Zabuza had been showing _concern_.

Very surprising. He hadn't expected the infamous Monster of the Hidden Mist to have a soft side. Just goes to show.

Quickly, he ran through the numerous scenarios he could think of that would explain Naruto losing control. None of them were very promising, and a more than a few resulted in the annihilation of this tiny island kingdom. Time to do some damage control, then, and reorder his priorities.

Chidori still buzzing in his hand, he raised it so Zabuza could see what was coming. Immediately, the missing nin stopped his struggling and glared at him. To the man's surprise, however, Kakashi was not looking to kill him anymore.

"Listen up, Zabuza," Kakashi said. "You're right. My student is a Jinchuuriki. Normally, that means I kill you to keep that fact secret. Unfortunately, I'm in no shape to take him on if he's lost control, and you just revealed that you care what happens to your partner." And the fact that thanks to that blast of demon chakra, the cat was out of the bag... "So here's what I propose: truce. Help me keep my student under control, and we can finish our fight afterwards."

A risky gambit, considering that Zabuza was under no obligation to stick around after he found his apprentice. Frankly, Kakashi was grasping for straws here, considering he had _no_ idea where Kimiko was, and she wasn't responding to his morse code signals over the Uzumaki tattoo. At full strength, he might've chanced going solo against Naruto, but between fighting Zabuza and his injury from the bridge explosion, he wasn't exactly in optimal conditions.

Zabuza naturally glared at him, and Kakashi was willing to bet the man would just bolt the minute he met up with this Haku fellow. "If you think…" the man growled behind the face wraps.

Whatever else he said, however, Kakashi drowned out as he felt his tattoo act up. At first, he sighed in relief as he expected the return message to come from Kimiko, but then frowned as he interpreted the code. It wasn't Kimiko. It was Hikari. Why was Hikari butting in? Had Kiba and Hinata woken u—

He froze. As Hikari's message went on, he reeled from the implications of the girl's message. Of _course_. No wonder Gato's army of mercenaries never seemed to have more than a couple of missing nin's at a time! No wonder his fiercest enemies always seemed to die so easily!

"Gato's going to betray you." he told Zabuza simply, cutting off the man's tirade.

Zabuza predictably stopped, then glared even more fiercely. "You're reaching, Kakashi. The man paid me. We're square."

"And I'll bet it wasn't like you expected?" Kakashi asked, very much aware of the nearby explosions and screaming. Whatever had set off Naruto was probably about to become an ugly stain on the ground. Along with the surrounding blocks. He needed to move fast. "Something off about that whole transaction?"

He saw Zabuza narrow his eyes — not in anger, but in reluctant, pensive agreement — and he knew he'd hit it on the nail. "Paper money. From Mizu."

Kakashi made a mental note to kiss Hikari when next he saw her. "I'll bet you anything Gato tipped off Kiri you'd be coming," he told his would-be victim. "You might have escaped from lone hunters before, but what about a dedicated task force? Think your chances are good then?"

"You underestimate our abilities to hide in plain sight, Kakashi," Zabuza growled. "Haku and I have hidden from worse. No way Gato screwed me over. He knows his head's on the line."

"Then why didn't he tell you he sent mercenaries to kidnap Tazuna's family?" Kakashi asked pointedly. As expected, that shut Zabuza up.

"He did _what_?" the man asked softly, but no less angrily. Already, Kakashi saw the gears working in the missing nin's head.

"Let me guess the rest. You didn't tell him you were going to split us up. You didn't tell him about blowing up the bridge. He just assumed you'd fight us there. If that's true, why did he need Tazuna's family if he trusted you to get the job done?" Kakashi asked. "You know what I think? He expected both of us to wear the other down, and then clean up. If that didn't work, he had the cash ready to send you to a death trap, or the family to coerce Tazuna to leave our protection. He's done it before, Zabuza. You were just another sacrificial pawn to him."

Zabuza growled, but this time Kakashi knew it wasn't directed at him, but rather at Gato. "That little, fat _fuck_!" he snapped. "I'm going to _gut_ him the next chance I get!"

Kakashi nodded, somewhat sympathizing. Not too much, though — after all, Zabuza _had_ tried to kill him and his students. And kidnapped his client. And handed the man over to a brutal dictator.

Yeah, his sympathy didn't run very deep right now. That said, he needed the man's help with his wayward student. Compromises and all that.

"So, we got a deal?" he asked carefully, very deliberately lowering the intensity of his Chidori as he re-absorbed the chakra into his system.

Zabuza glared at him, but then nodded. "Deal, Kakashi. As long as I get to make that fatass a head shorter, and Haku and I get to leave unimpeded afterwards."

Kakashi nodded and turned off his Chidori completely. Good thing, too. If he'd used the Chidori on Zabuza, then tried to take on Naruto, his chances of bringing Naruto back under control without significant maiming or needing to kill his student weren't good. Having non-monstrous chakra reserves sucked like that.

Another explosion nearby brought him back to reality. He snapped his fingers, and his ninken disappeared without another word. Zabuza glowered at him as he rubbed his injured limbs, but then picked up his sword and nodded at him. Kakashi took a breath, steadying his nerves, and then nodded back.

"Let's go."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Main Plaza…<strong>_

Pain. Fury. Despair.

A myriad of emotions swam through Naruto's being as he stood in the middle of nothingness. Everywhere he looked, all he saw was darkness. He looked down, and he saw himself well enough — almost like he was standing in the light — but everywhere else was just...black.

Slowly, he remembered what had happened. His charge, Tazuna, had been following him through the labyrinth of slum alleys as they played a lethal version of hide and seek with Zabuza's masked partner. For a while, everything had gone right — his skills at hiding had come in handy and soon enough, they'd been in the clear, while his Shadow Clones took care of misdirecting their pursuer.

And that had been where everything had gone wrong.

So confident was he that he'd succeeded that he'd failed to notice, or remember, that Gato had escaped, promising reinforcements. And those reinforcements had arrived. They'd shot Tazuna. Three times.

The bridge builder was dead.

Like a beating heart, he felt everything around him pulse red for an instant before the black returned. A soft, deep, chuckle full of malice seemed to tease his hearing, before it was gone.

Tazuna didn't deserve his fate. Naruto had liked the older man, despite his cantankerous personality. Whenever the weight of his duty wasn't causing him to be moody, the man had been jovial, rowdy...almost like his family. He didn't mince words, nor did he dismiss him out of hand, like so many adults did. After seeing him and his friends in action during the first ambush, Tazuna had reevaluated his worth and treated him better.

Tazuna didn't _deserve_ his fate.

Again, the black gave way to a pulse of red. Again, the malicious chuckle returned briefly, gaining strength. He was sure now that he hadn't been hearing things.

He grimaced, holding his stomach. It hurt. It felt like something wanted out, trying to tear its way out of his body. With every bout of rage, he felt it gain strength. Was it the Kyuubi? Mizuki had called him a Jinchuuriki, but his family and teacher had been very tight-lipped as to what that entailed, exactly. He'd come to figure that the monster fox would just stay dormant within him.

But this wasn't dormant.

The pulse of red came again, and lasted longer. His fury rose, as well. Flashes of Tazuna's fate bombarded his consciousness, and he felt his blood boil further and further every time he glimpsed the bridge builder's body.

The chuckling was beginning to really take off, now. If it continued like this, it would soon become full out laughter.

He whimpered, half-expecting the flashes to come back, forcing him into a deeper pit of anger, grief, and despair. What came instead was much worse.

Before his eyes, he saw the moment the arrows pierced Tazuna's back, splattering him with the bridge builder's blood.

The black shattered like glass.

All around him, Naruto saw a sewer take shape, leading up to a cage. At the center, way up above him, what appeared to be two doors were held shut by a flimsy piece of paper. He felt the urge to remove that paper, but quashed it down.

And then the voice came.

_**So. My jailer comes at last.**_

Naruto shivered unwillingly. The voice reeked of malice. It was as though every fiber of his being was being polluted by rage and violence. Behind the cage doors, in the darkness beyond, Naruto swore he could see something shift. Something furry. The cage's bars shook, and for a minute, Naruto feared the paper would come loose and let whatever was inside out.

_**A pity. It seems like you are not yet ready to let me out.**_

Naruto didn't need to ask, but did so anyway. "Who are you?" he asked defiantly.

The voice chuckled, amused.

_**You know already. Behind that false bravado, you know EXACTLY who I am, little human.**_

Again, something shifted behind the cage, and to his horror, two yellow orbs slowly emerged from the darkness. Followed by the sound of masses of fur bristling. Then, slowly, Naruto saw what seemed to be a massive tail slide by, and then muscular haunches flexing as the creature beyond rose to its full, terrifying height.

Without him wanting to, torches lit up along the sewer, and into the cage, illuminating his nightmare and somehow managing to make it _so much worse_. As a huge canine snout turned down to stare at him disdainfully, there was no denying it anymore.

_**I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune. LORD of all Bijuu. SCOURGE of Humanity.**_

The monster fox's lips curled into a snarl.

_**Welcome, my jailer. I have been waiting for you.**_


	19. Wave Arc: The Burdens We Bear

_**AN: **What's this?! An update?! MIRACLES HAPPEN!_

_Eh. Whatever. I managed to ground out enough free time in between jobs that I managed to get this chapter done. I apologize for those who wanted a chapter full of EXPLOSIONS and COMBAT and STUFF BLOWING UP (did I repeat myself? WHO CARES?! :D), but I felt like it was time to shine some light on our wayward hero's state of mind, as opposed to the goofball he shows everyone. Also, this isn't a Michael Bay movie. :P_

_As always, I encourage you to read and review! :-)_

_- MB_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Unknown...<strong>_

Naruto could easily list out the number of times he'd actually feared for his life.

Surprisingly, it wasn't that long.

However, more to the point, he was pretty damn scared _right now_.

He supposed it had something to do with the fact that a gigantic, evil, human-fox hybrid was apparently staring down at him as though it was consciously making the choice not to eat him.

Equally gigantic metal bars in the way notwithstanding.

Nor was he capable of formulating words at all. For once in his life, he'd been stricken dumb, unable to speak as he still processed the fact that this enormous evil plushy of doom was somehow stuck in his gut. How was that even _feasible_?

The Bijuu chuckled at the sight of him, and somehow that stuck in Naruto's craw. He supposed he had a fairly low tolerance for people mocking him, and he _knew_ the giant furball was looking down on him...literally and figuratively speaking.

"What's so funny, assbreath?" Naruto challenged. A bit of an unfair remark, considering the Bijuu's breath actually smelled nothing like that, but it did the trick of stopping the Bijuu cold.

Instead, it now slammed several its tails against its prison bars.

The whole world seemed to shake as the monster fox rammed against the rails. As expected, Naruto lost his footing and fell on his ass, a little shaken by the sudden act of violence. The Bijuu snorted.

_**Pathetic. You call yourself shinobi?**_

Naruto glowered up at the monster fox despite his fear. He knew there were many things he didn't understand, but he knew this much: he was being underestimated, and mocked. That was good enough for him to get fired up.

"Big talk from the world's largest prisoner, fuzzbutt," he snarked. The Bijuu growled throatily, but said nothing. "Where am I? Did you do this?" he demanded as he got to his feet and stepped closer to the cage. A casual observation told him the bars didn't seem even remotely affected by the tail swipe.

Again, the Bijuu chuckled.

_**Me? Summon my jailer? Amusing.**_

The beast shifted, its fur rippling as it moved into a more comfortable position. For all appearances, it had decided to ignore Naruto, opting instead for a nap.

Though it irritated Naruto to no end, he decided caution was the better part of valor, and maintained his distance from the jail bars. "If not you, then who?" he insisted.

The beast snorted. _**There are only two of us present. Whom do you think?**_

Naruto frowned. He knew what the beast was getting at, but it made no sense. Why would he willingly bring himself to meet his prisoner? Ever since finding out about his burden, he had just assumed that it was out of reach, beyond contact. Though, to be honest, even if he'd thought he _could_ contact the Kyuubi, why on earth would he?

As far as he was concerned, he knew enough. This beast had plagued his mother, and his ancestor, Lady Mito. It had brought him nothing but misery during his childhood. It continued being a focal point of anger amongst the villagers he still desperately wanted to accept him.

Why would he come here indeed?

_**You reach, yet you do not understand. Typical human maggot.**_

Naruto snapped out of his thoughts to see the Kyuubi had opened one of its eyes, its terrible gaze on him. It was unnerving, seeing the giant, yellow, slitted eye peering down on him. "What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?!" he demanded.

The Kyuubi snorted, clearly unintimidated.

_**Information isn't free, my jailer. Why should I help you, when already you take my strength, my power, to wreck havoc on your foes?**_

Naruto frowned. That didn't sound right; when had he used the Kyuubi's power? He could practically _feel_ the foul chakra radiating from the Bijuu, and he could safely say he'd never used anything like that.

"You're lying," he accused. After all, he was here, so how could he be wreaking havoc, or whatever?

_**You truly do not understand, do you?**_

The Kyuubi shifted again, slowly getting back to its feet. Its lips curled into a nasty, toothy grin.

_**Release your senses, my jailer, and you will understand.**_

Naruto eyed the Kyuubi warily. There was little sense in listening to it, much less taking advice from it. Especially when it looked giddy at the thought of him doing so. Even so, it had raised a troubling question: had he used Bijuu chakra? It would explain how he got to this weird dimension, where he could finally see his prisoner and the seal that kept him at bay. In the face of that, he had to wonder whether or not it was worth the risk. He supposed that as long as he kept away from the piece of paper, everything should be fine.

Edging further away from the cage, prompting an dark, amused laugh from the beast, Naruto glowered at his prisoner before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Honestly, he had no idea how he could possibly release his sens—

_Pain._

All at once, Naruto was overwhelmed by a tidal wave of heartache, despair, and fury. It felt like every fiber of his being had been coated in anger and grief. He felt his muscles contract and stretch, clearly doing _something_, though what that was, he had no idea. He tried to control himself, to push back against the tide, but found it an exercise in futility. In the distance, faintly, he could hear screaming and the sound of combat, but even as he tried his best to _see_, he could not.

Soon enough, he hoped he could just go back to the sewer, and to his surprise, his surroundings shattered like glass again. The Kyuubi was there. The sewer-like environment.

Right back where he started.

With one exception. Whereas he had left the place several meters away from the cage, he found himself now reaching up for the seal, under the watchful, eager gaze of his prisoner.

_**Ah, it returns…**_

The Kyuubi sounded disappointed, and slowly curled back into a more comfortable position.

_**A pity. A little more, and I might have wrecked my vengeance on your pathetic kind to my heart's content…**_

Naruto belatedly realized he was breathing quite rapidly, and his heart felt like it was trying to tear its way out of his chest.

"What...What the _hell_ was that?!" he demanded. "What did you do to me?!"

The beast snorted from behind the bars. _**I did nothing. You merely saw what your feeble mind tried to block. The unrepentant, unrestrained fury you are capable of.**_

"_LIAR!_" Naruto shouted, though deep down he knew the Bijuu wasn't lying. What he had felt...as much as it had felt like drowning in emotional agony, it had been _his_ agony. He couldn't explain how he knew that, other than its intrinsic familiarity.

The Kyuubi snorted. _**So you say, yet you already recognize the truth.**_

Naruto clenched his fists until his hands hurt. Then he clenched some more. He was worried — more worried than he'd ever felt, actually. If his friends had been around, he might've just cut the tension with a joke, or played the fool, but he was alone now, and he recognized the dire straits he was in. His body wasn't under his control anymore. Was it under the fox's?

"Give me back control of my body," he ordered the beast, despite his fear of it.

The Kyuubi actually laughed at that. _**Amusing. You still think I am the one in control? What a poor jailer I am chained to.**_

Naruto grimaced, feeling like he'd been suckerpunched. That had cleared up one worry and then magnified it a hundred fold. If it wasn't the fox controlling his body, that meant whatever it was doing, it was his own fault.

"Why is this happening to me?" he asked softly. He hadn't expected an answer, truthfully, so when the Bijuu decided to speak, it surprised him.

_**Humans. **_It snorted contemptuously as one eye opened and gazed down on him. _**So proud and boisterous, yet so feeble of mind. You think yourselves masters of all, yet you are but usurpers of the natural order! And when the power you steal becomes too much, you whine, you cry, you collapse. Feeble minded and fragile of spirit. A pathetic race.**_

Okay, the fox might have a point, but at this point, Naruto _really_ didn't care. He wasn't about to let some giant fox monster stuck in his stomach look down on him any more, damnit! If he was so powerful, why was the so-called "Lord of the Bijuus" stuck in some kid's stomach, huh?!

"So what does that say about _you_, jackass?" he challenged, recklessly drawing nearer to the bars. "My ancestor held you. My mom held you, and now you're _my_ prisoner. If we suck so hard, what about you?"

That actually drew out an angry snarl from the fox monster.

_**Such brave words...I wonder how brave you would be if not for this cage, jailer.**_

Naruto knew the fox was still trying to entice him into releasing the seal, but he'd seen this play too often to fall for it. Not again. "Who knows?" he asked with a knowing smirk. "But for now, you're just going to rot in there, while I take care of this problem."

The growl from behind the bars grew in magnitude, but Naruto was already moving away, knowing he'd scored at least a small, moral victory against his tenant. Another problem presented itself now, however. He had tried to return to a full state of consciousness before, but the experience had nearly overwhelmed him. If the beast was right, that meant he was pretty much beyond reach.

It didn't take him too much effort to realize why that was.

Naruto prided himself on keeping things internalized. When he whined, cried, or complained, people who enjoyed tormenting him just made things worse. Therefore, the best offense, in that sense, was _no_ offense. If he looked like he was enjoying himself just as much as they were, then the taunting and discrimination would...well...not _stop_, but definitely lessen, as people lost interest.

But even if that had just been a defense mechanism, though he didn't recognize it as such, he had failed to account for the fact that it had permeated into his dealings with even those he considered friends. He laughed, and smiled, and joked with Kiba and the others, but the truth was that behind that perfectly happy facade was a young boy suffering under enormous psychological pressure.

His family was back. That had been cause for celebration; but at the same time, it had provoked the rise of another slew of problems. He could play the idiot until the cows came home, but he knew his family was having trouble integrating into Konoha. He also knew it wasn't entirely the locals' fault.

Then there was the whole business about him becoming Clan Head. At 13! How ridiculous was that?! Yet, he was so desperate for his family to love him, to accept him, that he'd thoughtlessly charged into the situation without looking back. Now, he had two Clan cells out there in the world waiting to see if he could prove himself a worthy leader, while trying to bring back Kimiko into the fold, and dealing with Raiden's taunts that he would fail.

And that didn't even _touch_ upon the fact that the Hokage trusted him to remain impartial between his clan duties and his duties as a shinobi. Trusted him. He hadn't felt that in so long, he was desperate not to let the old man down. But at the same time, his family expected him to honor his Clan by becoming their best show of talent.

It was all just too much, and then Tazuna, his charge, had gone and died. On his watch. To some no-name thugs with adequate aim in the use of a bow and arrow.

And that's when he broke.

Naruto sighed, pushing aside the depressing thoughts as he looked around him and saw the sewer go on forever. There would be no "walking" out of this one. He would have to regain control of his body the old fashioned way — by sheer guts.

Except the last time he'd attempted to do so, he'd almost let out the Kyuubi. He couldn't let that happen. Unfortunately, he also didn't have ropes or anything of the sort to chain him down.

And that's when the first bit of pain hit him.

Naruto flinched, somewhat surprised, as he felt his left arm flare up in pain briefly. Just as fast, the sensation was gone. But then it was his leg. Then his left side. WIthin seconds, he was on his knees, grasping at phantom wounds.

What the hell was going on?!

* * *

><p><em><strong>Wave Country, Tazuna's Village, Moments earlier…<strong>_

Kakashi could scarcely believe his hyperactive student was responsible for all this.

After establishing his shaky truce with Zabuza, the two skilled shinobi had returned to the main plaza, where they both half-expected to see Zabuza's protegé in dire straits against an enraged Jinchuuriki.

The reality was much worse.

Much of the buildings near the plaza had been levelled. On their way there, they had passed dozens of thugs and local residents running for their lives. Zabuza made quick work of the thugs, no doubt relieving some of his fury towards Gato by murdering his goons. Kakashi hadn't approved, but then he needed the man around for helping him neutralize his student, and as long as Zabuza didn't harm any civilians, he didn't really care enough to intervene.

But it wasn't until they reached the plaza that they understood the gravity of the situation.

Standing amidst the rubble, or rather bent onto all fours, with three very ominous tails swishing back and forth, was Naruto. Or what he expected to be Naruto. Truth was, he could barely tell anymore. There was a dark red cloak about him, which obscured his student almost entirely. Yet, he could still see hints of the boy's clothes, giving him a positive ID.

"Jeez, Kakashi," he heard Zabuza speak up incredulously. "If I'd known about this…"

"You'd still have tried," Kakashi cut him off. Zabuza shrugged. It was true. "We need to get him back under control. Fortunately, he's not all gone yet."

"How can you tell?" the missing nin asked seriously.

"There's only three tails," Kakashi answered honestly.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"Do I even want to know…?"

"Nine."

Kakashi heard Zabuza swear softly, and felt like joining him. To be honest, he'd rather wanted to avoid telling him that, but Zabuza would always be on tip toes if he believed Naruto be on the verge of going full Bijuu on them. This way, the missing nin wouldn't cut his losses quite so quickly.

Still, it presented a dilemma about what to do with the man afterwards. He'd promised him to let him go, but letting a missing nin, of all people, run around knowing who the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki was...well, that was just plain idiotic.

Well, he'd have to cross that bridge when he got to it. Right now, he had a rampaging Jinchuuriki to deal with.

"Bringing that boy down is going to be a hell of a workout, Hatake," Zabuza noted.

"No killing, Zabuza," Kakashi warned him. "He may be out of control right now, but he's my student."

Zabuza scoffed. "Dream on, Hatake. If it comes down to me or him...let's just say I'm not feeling too altruistic right now."

Kakashi glared at the missing nin, but had to concede the point. Zabuza had zero incentive to even help him out, much less risk life and limb to safely capture Naruto. Meaning, if Naruto was to come out of this situation in one piece, Kakashi had to make sure to be the one doing the capturing.

"Master!"

Kakashi frowned as he watched Zabuza's partner show up, landing next to the missing nin. His mask was still on, but he did seem a little worse for wear. Clearly, he'd taken the safe approach and stayed as far away as possible from his student.

"Haku," Zabuza greeted his partner. "What the hell happened here?"

The masked shinobi was silent for a moment before nodding at Zabuza. Kakashi guessed he'd been wondering whether or not to treat Kakashi as hostile. Apparently not.

"I was chasing the bridge builder and the blonde boy when it happened," Haku said. "I lost sight of them for a moment, and the next thing I know, there's a large explosion and Gato's thugs are running for their lives."

Kakashi knew there was more to the story, but guessed Haku wasn't privy to it. The fact of the matter was, Jinchuuriki didn't just explode at random. They had mental triggers, typically tied to powerful emotions like anger or fear. Whatever had set off Naruto, it must've rattled the boy something fierce.

"Where's the bridge builder, Tazuna?" he asked then, hoping the old man had gotten out okay.

Haku was silent again for a moment before nodding. "I'm unaware of his whereabouts," the masked shinobi stated neutrally. "As I said, I lost sight of them while chasing them."

Meaning any number of things. Tazuna could be well. Tazuna could be dead. Tazuna could simply be missing.

Kakashi wasn't a betting man, but he was willing to wager some money that Tazuna had something to do with his student losing his cool.

"Zabuza, our deal is still on, right?" he asked, knowing that the real reason the missing nin had agreed to help was to retrieve the man's partner. To his surprise, Zabuza nodded.

"Gato's still alive. As long as he's not a head shorter, we still got a deal, Hatake. What's the play?" he asked. From a look at Haku's body language, Kakashi could see the sudden shift in allegiance surprised the missing nin.

"Keep my student busy. I'll work on a trap to hold him down," he stated. It was a sensible plan; after all, he doubted Zabuza's idea of a trap was anything more intricate than a jutsu or two, which would be ineffective against a rampaging Jinchuuriki.

The missing nin nodded and turned to look at his partner. "Haku, you're with me," he stated gruffly.

"Yes, Zabuza-sama."

In the blink of an eye, both missing nin were gone, charging his student head on. For his part, Kakashi sought the nearest high ground and crouched there to observe the situation from a broader perspective. He watched as Zabuza and Haku blindsided Naruto, though ineffectively. His enraged student merely turned to his new opponents and let off a bestial roar that sent chills down his spine. It reminded him all too much of that night, years ago, when his master had died.

The problem was that a Jinchuuriki had massive chakra reserves to tap into, meaning that just confining Naruto wouldn't cut it. He needed to be knocked out, or drained enough to cut off his link to the Kyuubi's chakra. The problem was, how to do so without taking most of the village with them?

Kakashi growled irritably. He wished he'd used the Sharingan on one of the Uzumaki's restraining seals, but he knew that such acts were considered grievous offences amongst the newly returned clan. He glanced down at his arm, where his temporary Uzumaki tattoo lay. Could he call up Hikari to come and help? Doing so would leave Tsunami, her son, and his other two, unconscious students unprotected...and with Gato running loose, with an army of mercenaries probably on their way, he wasn't that anxious to leave anyone undefended.

Which just left Kimiko, but she had gone AWOL ever since his student had chewed her out. At the time, he'd felt proud of Naruto for standing up for his beliefs, but he was starting to wish the blonde had gone easier on the girl, as they were now left without a Fuin user.

Kakashi grit his teeth as he watched Haku narrowly save Zabuza from being eviscerated by a pissed-off Jinchuuriki. Things weren't going well, and his only options were using conventional Jutsus. Maybe form a trap hole, or bury Naruto while they went for the money shot to knock him out…

Kakashi already knew they'd fail. Right now, the best shot they had was to wear his student down, while avoiding getting killed.

"Damnit," he cursed softly. So many things could go wrong with such a plan. A hand could slip, or a jutsu misfire, and suddenly he didn't have an injured student, but rather a dead one. Or one's footing or blocking maneuver could go wrong, and suddenly he was down one man.

He was really starting to wish that he'd asked Jiraiya for some Fuin lessons now…

"Zabuza-sama!"

Kakashi's attention snapped to the fight once more, belatedly realizing that Zabuza had missed a wide swing, and was now completely open to Naruto's retaliatory swipe. From that distance, whatever Naruto did to the missing nin, the man would not be getting back up.

While Haku quickly flipped through hand seals, already apparently forming what appeared to be a slab of ice floating about five inches above ground, Kakashi swore and jumped from his perch into the battle, managing to catch Naruto's attention in time and knocking his student aside with a well placed kick to the face.

He made a mental note to apologize later.

"Thanks, Hatake," Zabuza said as he came over to his side. The man's partner swiftly joined them, challenging Naruto with a united front. Kakashi nodded in acquiescence of the man's thanks.

"Any ideas, Hatake-san?" Zabuza's partner asked. Kakashi grimaced beneath his mask.

"None worthwhile. Looks like we'll have to slug it out till either he's tired, or we're dead," he said honestly.

Zabuza glared at him, then returned his attention to the enraged Kyuubi container. "Fan-freaking-tastic," he muttered. "Don't suppose he'll let me and Haku go if we just bolt, huh?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Probably not."

He heard Zabuza sigh exasperatedly. "Figures. Haku, you still good to go?"

"Yes, Zabuza-sama."

Kakashi eyed the duo and felt a bit of respect for them. They were clearly well matched, and fully in sync. He'd seen them trade blows with Naruto from his perch, and they'd complimented each other beautifully. Ahead of them, Naruto's shadowed form growled angrily.

"Hatake, I'll take the front. Haku'll pepper your boy with long range attacks. What's your contribution?" Zabuza asked.

Kakashi chuckled again. "I'll keep his attention divided," he said.

Naruto's growl became a bestial howl as the shrouded boy charged them. Immediately, Haku jumped away, while Kakashi waited a second longer to do the same. Only Zabuza stood his ground, greatsword in front of him, and faced the oncoming Jinchuuriki with a challenging cry of his own.

Spinning on one foot, Zabuza dodged the swipe of the boy's clawed hands and smacked him aside with a swing of his greatsword, using the flat of the blade to avoid killing him. As Naruto flew, Haku appeared next to him mid-air and drop kicked him, right into Kakashi's position.

"Sorry, Naruto," he muttered as he watched the boy fly towards him. Without another second's hesitation, Kakashi clasped his hands together, raised them above his head, and smashed down onto Naruto's head as he came into range, smashing the boy into the ground, kicking up a fair bit of dust.

Clearing his vision with a wave of his hand, Kakashi looked down at the still body of his student, still shrouded in that demonic red chakra. Had it worked? Would he finally calm down? He started to crouch to reach for his student...

"Kakashi, MOVE!"

Before he knew what had happened, Kakashi felt a stinging sensation on his cheek, right before he was knocked aside. Looking up at the sky, he only had moments to wonder what had happened when he heard Naruto howl in pain. For a minute, he thought Zabuza had gone back on their deal and killed his student. Looking over, he could only blurrily make out what seemed to be numerous large, thin objects pinning his student down into the ground by his limbs.

Shaking off disorientation, Kakashi flipped onto his haunches and was about to charge at his student's attacker, only to realize that it hadn't been Zabuza who'd hurt his student.

It was Kimiko.

* * *

><p>Kimiko had never felt so conflicted in her life.<p>

Well, that wasn't true. The day her parents died she'd certainly been a basket case. Even so, this was either a close second, or a tie for first.

For years — hell, more than a decade! — she'd carried the burning fury and despair of her loss deep within her, feeding off of it in order to grow stronger — stronger than anyone. Strong enough to prevent another, similar tragedy.

But it'd come at a cost. She understood that, but she'd never regretted it. By walking down her chosen path, she became isolated even within her family. No one wanted to be near her because they _feared _her. Even those closest to her — Hikari, Natsu, Keisuke, Akemi — held their distance, and treated her differently than the other clan members. Every smile was just the tiniest bit forced. Every thanks held caution. Every time she got "bad news," they'd walk on eggshells around her.

She didn't mind.

No, that wasn't accurate. She did mind, but she _forced_ herself not to mind. None of them understood the depths of her pain, and that she was doing what she thought was necessary to protect the clan. The only family she had left in this world.

But at what cost? The very family she swore to herself to defend with life and limb crept ever farther away. They respected her, treated her well, but she could see it now, in hindsight, that she was almost a foreigner within her own family. What did she know of her fellow clansmen? How many nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, and uncles had she gained and lost over the years? She knew how many clansmen there were in total, but she realized she _knew_ none of them.

It was jarring, and it was all the new (future) Clan Head's fault.

The moment he confronted her, the moment he threw back her pain in her face, it was as though she had been forced to turn around, and see the wreckage of her life for the first time, in all its dreadful glory. She had envisioned herself the stalwart shield of the Uzumaki, but she now realized that she had no one behind her to protect.

And then there was Hatake, her (future) Clan Head's teacher. Even as Naruto's words cut deep into her soul, he slid the knife in even further, reminding her that a Clan Head without integrity is not a Clan Head worth having. Personally, she prided herself on her moral righteousness. It was one of the backbones of her sense of duty to the Clan.

Yet there she was, advocating in favor of leaving behind a suffering nation just to save a future Clan Head who wanted to stay and fight for what's right.

When had she become the villain?

Kimiko hated to admit she was wrong, but she had to concede this time. She was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. Maybe, practically, it would've been best for them to leave Nami cold. Leave Tazuna and his family to Gato's mercy; after all, they were just nobody civilians who'd lied about their offered contract.

But morally, it would've been repugnant. There was no honor in leaving the weak at the mercy of the strong and cruel.

She couldn't remember how long she'd stood where Naruto and Hatake had left her, but it seemed like ages as she reflected on her life, her choices. She distantly realized Hikari and Hatake exchanging messages over the tattoo, but made no move to answer them. She was in no shape to do anything.

Until she felt the demonic chakra.

Kimiko had never faced a Jinchuuriki in combat in her life. No one in the Uzumaki's newest generation had. What little they knew about the whole concept of Jinchuuriki had been theoretical knowledge passed down by Keisuke and Heiyako, based on their own experiences, until the day they had met Naruto. Even then, it wasn't like he paraded his status.

However, the moment the Bijuu chakra wave hit her, she recognized it immediately. Based on Keisuke's lectures, there was mistaking it for anything else, which meant that something had happened to Naruto.

Immediately, Kimiko had departed for the source of the wave, taking in the exchanged messages between Hikari and Hatake. Apparently that little toad, Gato, had decided to backstab his employees. Big surprise. However, the most pressing matter was suppressing the demon chakra, and Kimiko knew Hatake would be handicapped by his reluctance to hurt Naruto. She had to respect that, at the very least.

Which meant there was a pressing need for a Fuin user, such as herself.

Rushing towards the scene of battle, Kimiko flipped her hands in strange hand seals, which, once finished, served to boost her speed substantially. She'd heard Hatake ask Hikari about the hand seals, but her clanmate had done well in keeping the clan's secret: body tattoos.

Every inch of their hands and feet were covered in invisible ink tattoos. Outwardly, they were perfectly normal, but when used together or individually, the slightest shifts in movement allowed them to spell out the Fuin formulas they needed for their Jutsus.

However, Kimiko was different. Therein lay the foundation of the Elders' decree forbidding anyone from ever emulating her.

When she was younger and even more reckless, Kimiko had tried to emulate the Fuin formula used to create Jinchuuriki on herself. However, without a Bijuu to store within her, she sought to make herself into a container for innumerable weapons, which would come at her beck and call, effectively making her into a walking arsenal.

Except she had ignored the Elders' teachings regarding how incredibly dangerous it was to do such a thing. Seals weren't meant to be permanently etched on the human body; even the Jinchuuriki formulas were considered last resorts. The slightest error could easily have killed her, and given that she'd done the entire process by herself at her young age , it was a miracle it hadn't.

"Kuchiyose," she grunted out, ignoring the flash near her hands as five needle like weapons appeared. Without faltering in her step, she grasped them and continued her way towards the sound of battle, past all the running civilians and terrified thugs.

She arrived in the middle of a rather remarkable scene. Naruto — or so she assumed, by process of elimination, given that he was all but unrecognizable now — was holding his ground against Zabuza, the man's partner, and Hatake. Then, in a feat of spontaneous teamwork, the three had managed to knock Naruto down. Unfortunately, that's where Hatake's professionalism ended, as he tried to reach down to his student. A minor flinch in the chakra-cloaked being's musculature informed her that it was a potentially fatal mistake.

"Kakashi, MOVE!" she yelled, as she hoisted up the five needle-like weapons and, one by one, threw them at her future Clan Head with remarkable accuracy, just as the masked shinobi tackled Kakashi out of harm's way, for Naruto had shot one chakra-cloaked arm up at his teacher and nearly taken off his head, merely nicking him on the cheek instead.

With unerring accuracy, her needles did their job, pinning Naruto's limbs to the ground. She winced as she heard him cry out in pain; it was her duty to protect him, not harm him. She would have to perform penance later.

Her hands flipped and slid off each other as she raced through hundreds of character combinations, years of training telling her that the formulas were on the right track. Unfortunately, a simple binding seal wouldn't do at this point. She knew she would have to create a whole new one for her future Clan Head. Still, even a basic seal would keep him down for a little bit longer.

"Kosoku Fūin!" she cried out, slamming her open palm onto the pinned Naruto's back. Black lines of characters spread out over the enraged Jinchuuriki, who despite the strength of Kimiko's seals continued thrashing. Neither her barrier needles nor the restraint seal would last very long at this rate.

She wasted no time. Flipping over her (temporarily) subdued clansman, she used her still bleeding thumb to streak another line of the red liquid along her arm, causing another series of Fuin characters to glow green.

"Kuchiyose!" she incanted. She was distantly aware that Kakashi was calling out to her, but couldn't afford to break her attention. Instead, she snapped up her hands and caught the two glaives that appeared in the air...just before she was then tackled to the side.

Blinking away her disorientation, she was surprised to find Kakashi pinning her down. Instantly, her fiery temper flared. "Get off me, Hatake!" she snapped.

Kakashi's one good eye turned to look at her and frowned. "Is that really the right way to thank someone for saving your life?" he asked archly.

Kimiko frowned and looked around, noticing that the masked shinobi and Zabuza were quickly cutting down a trio of archers that had appeared while she wasn't looking. A quick look around her informed her that three arrow shafts were planted in the ground she'd occupied moments earlier. Kakashi had indeed saved her life.

"...Thanks," she ground out, before getting out of his grip and back to her feet. "I'll deal with Naruto-sama," she told him. "You keep Gato's dogs off my back."

Kakashi stared at her silently for a moment before looking over to Zabuza and the masked shinobi, then back at her. "They're doing just fine. Considering your focus, I'm going to guess we're on a tight schedule, right? So how about you let me _help_ you?" he asked.

Kimiko glowered, but a furious howl from Naruto quickly reminded her of how pressed for time she was. If Kakashi managed to help her get the seal done as quickly as possible, then all the better.

"How much do you know about seals?" she asked, readying both glaives beneath her armpits.

Kakashi frowned. "More than most, less than I'd like."

Well, at least he was being honest.

She quickly used the blade end of one of her glaives to carve a series of symbols on the ground. "I need to make four of these sets around Naruto-sama," she explained quickly. "I'll take the inner circles, you deal with the outer circles. One inch, each stroke. Time is of the essence."

She watched Kakashi study the markings, then nod. "Understood. Will I need blood or…?"

Kimiko shook her head. "Carving them will do just fine," she said. "Now, hurry. The barrier needles won't last for much longer, nor will my restraining seal!"

Without another word, both jumped into action.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Inside Naruto's Mindscape…<strong>_

Naruto was in a quandary, and he didn't mind admitting as much.

First of all, he was apparently stuck in a mindless rage, destroying everything in his path with utter disregard for his safety or that of others.

Secondly, he had no control over himself at the moment or a way back into his conscious mind without losing control.

End of list.

Small, sure, but no less messed up for it. As he stood in the middle of his sewer-esque mindscape — and it didn't escape his notice that apparently his mind was apparently no better than a tunnel conveying sewage — he reckoned he had very little time to devise a way out of his predicament before Kakashi was put into a position where he might have to do some serious damage.

He grimaced. It wasn't pleasant to think about, but time enough amongst his family — short as it may be, comparatively speaking — had taught him that sometimes drastic measures had to be taken, even if you really didn't want to.

And frankly, now understanding what primordial feelings were driving his conscious self at the moment, he was rather hoping someone would stop him, no matter what, before things got too out of hand.

The last thing he wanted was someone else's life on his head.

He still felt the phantom pain of objects piercing his extremities, but he had learned to ignore it. As far as he was concerned, it probably meant the others outside were trying to contain him.

He glanced back at the Kyuubi's cage, in the distance. The beast had insinuated that this entire fiasco was the result of his emotions getting out of hand. Perhaps that was why he wasn't angrier, or more desperate. The more he fed into those emotions, the more dangerous he'd become.

In a sense, he sort of understood Kimiko on a much deeper level now.

He brought up his "hands" and looked at them. The whole incident had come as something of a wake up call. Never before had he been out of control like this, and he hated the feeling. He hated not knowing or being able to control himself. Sure, he flew off the handle more than a few times, but then, he was temperamental like that. This, however, was different. He could be hurting his friends, his teacher, his family for all he knew. He could've killed an innocent person, and there was nothing he could do about that.

It sucked.

In a twisted way, he supposed he could see where the villagers were coming from, now. If he lost control like this, he was a danger to everyone. Worse yet, what if he remembered none of this, and just committed the same mistake later on? He certainly hoped it wasn't the case, but it certainly didn't stretch the imagination.

He sighed explosively, scratching his head furiously as he tried to come up with a way out of this predicament. Leaning back, he rested his "head" on the "wall." What could he do? Trying to take control again would likely result in his getting overwhelmed once more, and he wasn't about to let out the Kyuubi because he got overconfident…

He eyed the dark tunnel that led back to the Kyuubi's cage. Ideally, he could just ask the damned beast to back off, but he doubted it would work. It was clear that the giant fox monster wanted out, and wasn't too shy about causing mass destruction to get his way.

Wait.

Something was wrong with that train of thought. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto raised his head and looked back towards the cage. Hadn't the Kyuubi mentioned something about how he wasn't the one lending the power? Hadn't the Kyuubi insinuated that it was _he_ who was taking away the power?

Rising to his feet, Naruto looked both ways down the tunnel, then down to the water. The water came from the cage, based on the way it was flowing. Did that mean the water was the Kyuubi's chakra?

He groaned. He hated difficult situations like this. Give him a nice, big target and license to go nuts, and he was a happy boy. Make him think this much, and he was liable to just develop a headache.

Still, his family would expect him to try, at least.

He winced as his limbs flared with pain, but ignored it. Instead, he went nearer to the water and stared at it for a moment. He knew his next act would be all sorts of boneheaded, but he had no choice at this point. Getting to his knees, he tentatively brought his hand nearer to the water, and then put in a finger.

It was surprisingly warm, and not at all evil. Yet, he could feel the latent power within the liquid, trying to push into him. He frowned as he realized that it did not just do so automatically. Did that mean that he needed to _want_ it in order to use it?

Well, this certainly wasn't the moment to try and figure that out. Right now, he had to put a stop to this flow, for he was certain that it was the cause of his loss of control.

Now knowing that it wouldn't just force its way into him, he stepped into the water, and soon found that, despite initial appearances, it appeared waist deep. That could be a problem. Perhaps it was a reflection of how much power was flowing into him?

If so, he was fast running out of ideas on how to stop it, considering that he had nothing on hand to build a dam or anything of the sort.

He tried spreading his arms in a vain attempt to stop the flow of water at either side. It didn't work; the water just flowed around and under his small arms. He thought about lying sideways, but realized the water was high enough that it would just submerge him.

Naruto growled. He hated this situation. How on earth was he supposed to regain control if nothing went his way?!

At that moment, however, he felt his lungs tighten, as though he'd been punched in the gut. Doubling over, he nearly touched the water with his face before straightening up, yet leaning on the edge of the waterway. What was _that_?

To his surprise, he felt his stomach growing colder, despite the warm water, and slowly began realizing that the water level itself was beginning to go down. Something was halting the flow of chakra, and he was pretty sure it hadn't been him.

A smile grew on his face as he realized that something on the outside was happening, and that whatever it was, it was going to bring him back down under control.

Still, as he waited and watched the water go down, the situation still stuck in his craw. He had been useless, helpless. He had no control over his own body, or any control over the Kyuubi's chakra. He had placed his family in danger, his friends and teacher too, and hadn't been able to live up to the expectations he'd raised.

He clenched his fist, more angry at himself now than at the world, though Tazuna's passing still stung.

He had to grow stronger, and take things more seriously now. He had a lot of power at his disposal, and unless he could control it, it would inevitably harm his friends.

Once more in his life, he felt something he'd felt only a few times before.

He'd felt it when the other kids at the orphanage had shunned him.

He'd felt it when the adults whispered mean things about him.

He'd felt it when his teachers, pre-Iruka, had taunted his dream of being shinobi.

He was motivated.

He swore then and there, that he would learn to control his power, and be the very best shinobi Konoha had ever seen.

He knew he would do it, too, because he never back on his word.

That was his ninja way.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Tazuna's Village Square…<strong>_

Kakashi and Kimiko breathed hard as they watched Naruto's Kyuubi-fied self start to calm down, the four strips of Fuin characters pulsing black as they seemingly choked off his Bijuu chakra. On the periphery, they both realized that Zabuza and his partner seemed to have kept the mercenaries at bay, but were beginning to run into endurance problems. Gato's army was nothing if not substantial.

Still, Naruto had given as good as he got. Even pinned down, Kakashi's wayward student had managed to fling balls of..._something_ at them, and whatever they touched seemed to blow up. It chilled the jounin when he realized they looked like bastardized versions of his late master's Rasengan.

He eyed his female partner then. Kimiko, for all her attitude, all her whining, and so forth...had actually proven to be rather reliable in combat, when her emotions weren't getting in the way. With a swiftness and grace he'd scarcely seen before, the female Uzumaki warrior had carved her symbols with the ease of years of practice, and managed to fend off her clansman's attacks in the process.

Kakashi hadn't done so bad himself, either. Despite his unfamiliarity with Fuin, he was able to carve out his symbols in quick succession, only stopping once to remember a particular stroke pattern. And fortunately for everyone involved, the seal had stuck and done its job.

"Kakashi."

He turned to see Kimiko looking right at him. It surprised him to realize that this was the _second _time she'd called him by his first name. There was no warmth there, however, only suspicious anxiousness.

"What happens now?" she asked warily.

He could see where she was coming from, of course. His student had wrecked quite a bit of damage in his rampage, and enough people had seen him go berserk to basically let the cat out of the bag. Worst case scenario, Gato would use the attack to rally the people behind his corrupt, albeit secure administration, thereby derailing all of Tazuna's lifework.

"We need to find Tazuna," he said. At her confused look, he glanced over to Naruto's normalizing form. "Whatever triggered this, Tazuna was involved in some way. We need to find him, in whatever state he's in, and get the real story out there."

"Before Gato gets here," Kimiko added. He nodded, pleased she'd followed his train of thought.

"Exactly."

She then glanced over to where Zabuza and Haku were still dealing with the mercenaries. "And them?" she asked.

Her voice was ice cold as she spoke of the two Mizu natives, but he could see a distinctly less impulsively hostile attitude developing. Clearly, the two rogue shinobi's act of staying behind and helping out had won them some points.

"They get to live, and leave," he told her firmly.

He saw quite the raging storm in those brown colored eyes of hers, but when she looked away, he knew she'd conceded. Another minor miracle, it seemed.

"Very well," she vocalized what he already knew. "Then I shall proceed with finding Tazuna. We must acquire the truth of these events as soon as possible, or else I fear Naruto-sama's...condition will prejudice the villagers."

The curled lip of disgust with which she spoke of the villagers was curious to Kakashi, but he didn't exactly have the luxury of time on his side. "No, I'll look for Tazuna," he said, pointing at his nose. "My tracking skills aren't too shabby, and I've got a pretty good tracking team on hand," he told her, using the tip of a kunai to draw blood.

Kimiko stared at him, then nodded. "Very well. I will guard Naruto-sama and inform Hikari of the situation."

Kakashi nodded; he had no doubts that Hikari would be worried out of her mind by now, given how much time had passed between their last communication. And to be honest, he was rather worried for his two injured students. Even if Naruto had taken up most of his attention, he was no less worried for his injured charges.

"Please make sure Hinata and Kiba are fine," he requested, relieved when Kimiko nodded.

Without another word, Kakashi flipped through the appropriate hand seals and slammed a palm onto the ground, kicking up some residual dust. "Kuchiyose!" he cried out.

In several puffs of smoke, Kakashi's ninken familiars appeared, much to Kimiko's surprise. In fact, if his eyes weren't deceiving him, she'd started to develop this sort of incredibly girly look of surprised joy before her cool facade slammed back into force. Kakashi eyed his ninken, then Kimiko, who was now looking away, and decided to file that information for later use and abuse.

However, any plans to search for Tazuna immediately ended the moment they both noticed a shadow on the horizon, growing thicker and larger by the second. Belatedly, they realized what these were.

Arrows.

"Zabuza! Run!" he shouted.

Fortunately, both Mizu natives seemed to realize the imminent danger and jumped out of range, even though a simple use of Zabuza's partner's ice could've shielded them. As the duo reached him and Kimiko, Kakashi cursed the horrible timing they'd been suffering these past few days, and turned to his dogs, who had wisely stayed quiet in the face of the mass devastation around them.

"Listen up," he said. "There's an old man lying around somewhere, probably has to do with this whole mess. He may be alive, he may be hurt, he may be dead. Whatever he is, we need to find him ASAP," he told his summons. "Find him, bring him back here. Before things get worse."

The small pug amongst his ninken snorted, prompting a surprised look from Kimiko. "This can get worse?" the dog asked sceptically.

Kakashi eyed Naruto's unconscious form, then the growing mass of people converging on the plaza from all sides. "So _much_ worse, Pakkun."

The small pug stared at him, then at his companions, and nodded in a very human like fashion. "Right, then," he acknowledged. "Keep safe, Kakashi."

Without another word, the pug and his canine companions dashed away, leaving the quartet to face the oncoming wave of mercenaries, who all had murder in their eyes.

And right in the middle of that crowd, looking all too pleased with himself, was Gato.

"Well, Zabuza, you wanted him? There he is," Kakashi joked as all four warriors tensed, Naruto's body lying motionless behind them.

"Funny, Hatake," deadpanned Zabuza. "Five ryo says he begins monologuing."

"I'll take that bet," Kimiko spoke up, much to Kakashi's surprise. He supposed their imminent, shared danger was speeding along her tolerance towards the Mizu natives.

"Zabuza-sama, there are more coming in from behind us," the missing-nin's companion said then. A glance backwards confirmed the arrival of more mercenaries. Wherever Gato had gone during Naruto's takedown, he had really pulled out all the stops.

"Guess it's a party, then," Kakashi noted, slowly drawing back to cover his unconscious student. "Uzumaki-san, Zabuza, Haku-san, whatever differences we've had, I'd say now's a good time to put them behind us."

Zabuza chuckled as he, too, took a few steps back and joined Kakashi near the unconscious boy. "Feh. Joining forces with a Konoha nin. Never thought I'd see the day."

"Like Kiri is any better," Kimiko riposted, a little acidly. Even if she was willing, however reluctantly, to cooperate with Zabuza and his companion, her hatred for Mizu had just diminished, not gone away.

Kakashi watched as Gato stopped his march just in front of his men, and opened his mouth. Then, just as quickly, he closed it and shrugged, raising his cane to point at the group. Next to him, Kakashi heard Zabuza curse.

"Fuck. Looks like I'm five ryo short."

Kakashi chuckled, just as Gato finally gave the order.

"Kill them."


	20. Wave Arc: Turn The Tables

_**AN**: Hey, everyone! It's been a while, huh? Unfortunately, all I can do is apologize, without promising faster uploads. Work and real life come first, and that leaves me with few chances to dedicate myself to writing (made worse by the fact that I've got an original story in the works). However, I have not, nor will I abandon this story, or any of my other pending stories. You will get your complete story regardless of my other commitments. That's a pledge._

_In any case, I've gotten my laptop back, so that should help me write faster. In fact, most of this chapter was written on it, and I started this chapter this past weekend!_

_Now, to head off some criticism: yes, this chapter may feel a bit rushed. The fighting, in particular, seems to wrap everything up too nicely. However, let me assure you that this was always going to be the case. Tazuna's fate, whatever that may be, and the events which unfold in this chapter, were always going to happen. Believe me, I'm just as sick of Wave as you are. :P_

_However, I'm afraid I have to crush your hopes at this point, because there's one last chapter to go before Wave is 100% done. Not even one chapter...like, half. Maybe. Just some loose ends needing tying up. The important bits are covered in this one._

_Anyway, thanks for sticking with me for so long!_

_Cheers,_

_- MB_

* * *

><p>Gato may have had the advantage of numbers, but the Wave magnate had forgotten one crucial thing…<p>

His opponents were shinobi.

In a fair fight, the overwhelming numbers of Gato's mercenary army may have indeed tipped the scales irreparably, but as none of his opponents intended to fight fairly, that calculation was somewhat flawed. This was best demonstrated when Kimiko blew up.

Well, blew up was perhaps a bit misleading.

Rather, the redheaded enforcer of the Uzumaki Clan bit her non-bleeding thumb and, together with her already bleeding thumb, ran both digits down her clavicle, causing her entire being to shine as Fuin characters glowed bright green.

"What the fu—?" Zabuza could be heard yelling, just before Kimiko cried out.

"_**KUCHIYOSE!**_"

Kakashi winced as the glow became unbearable, and looked away. All around him, he heard hundreds of mercenaries similarly yell out in pain as their eyes were beset by the powerful shine of Kimiko's body. Honestly, Kakashi had some money down in his head that she was about to self-destruct.

Nothing of the sort happened, of course.

Rather, when the glow died down just as suddenly as it'd appeared, Kimiko was no longer in her prior attire. Gone was the ceremonial looking armor, replaced now by a much more reinforced suit of armor. Her traditional _dou_, a collection of steel plates, was now gone, replaced by a single steel cuirass. Her helmet, too, became more rounded, with a slit of steel protecting her nose. Her _sode_ were also forged in the same vein as her new cuirass, and her legplates seemed ready to withstand a lot of punishment.

In short, she had transformed into a walking fortress.

"_Minamikaze no Yoroi_," she declared firmly, crossing two _yari _spears in front of her before sliding into a ready stance.

Kakashi chuckled. "Nice trick," he observed, unsheathing a kunai and smiling under his mask as he observed the mercenaries actually hesitate for a moment at the sight of Kimiko's new armor.

"Hmph," Zabuza grunted. "Flash isn't everything to a shinobi, Red," he remarked disapprovingly, burying his sword's blade into the ground in front of him while he raised his hands into a familiar seal. "First rule of stealth kills: if they can't see you…"

All around the foursome, thick mist rapidly morphed into being, quickly hiding them from Gato and his mercenaries' view. As the mob of mercenaries began to get swallowed up by the mist, the first cries of panic and surprise began to emerge.

"...they can't stop you," Zabuza's ghostly voice finished, just before someone screamed in the mist.

Kakashi smiled grimly under his mask as he privately agreed with the missing-nin's assessment and tore through a lone mercenary's jugular with his kunai. Despite Zabuza's skills having noticeably dropped during his stint as a missing-nin, he couldn't help but appreciate the man's extensive stealth abilities. He imagined that if Zabuza had consistently been in top form, he might've even had a bit of trouble dealing with the former Kiri nin.

But right now, they were on the same side, and that was a small measure of comfort, he supposed.

To his left, he heard more screaming, followed by a dark chuckle. It prompted a raised eyebrow, as he reflected that perhaps Zabuza was enjoying himself a bit too much.

To his right, however, he heard a woman give out a battlecry, just before the sound of tearing flesh hit his ears. Kimiko, too, was adapting well to her current circumstances, despite her admitted hatred for Kiri and all persons affiliated, however loosely, to it.

Then, to his front, he felt a stiff, cold breeze, and took note of the strange silence coming from that direction. Unlike Zabuza or Kimiko, Haku seemed content to just carry out his kills without the added psychological shock value.

He could respect that. As a former ANBU operative, Kakashi hadn't much liked the idea of making statements with his kills — all that really mattered was that it was carried out as per the Hokage's orders. Therefore, quick and efficient was the best way to go.

Besides, his renowned kill count served as sufficient deterrents for most run-of-the-mill shinobi.

Kakashi eyed his student's still body behind him. While Kimiko, Zabuza, and the one called Haku seemed at ease with going on the offensive, Kakashi hadn't forgotten that his primary duty was to safeguard his students. He knew that there were many in Konoha who wouldn't have minded something untoward happening to Naruto, but he'd be damned if it happened on his watch.

He snapped his gaze to the right, just as a mercenary blindly stumbled towards him, and quickly dispatched the man by snapping his neck.

Silence was his greatest weapon, after all.

Two more mercenaries managed to find him, and both met with equally final fates. As he stood over their bodies, however, he couldn't help but notice that the screams were becoming less and less common, which made little sense, given the sheer amount of mercenaries Gato had brought with him.

In fact, by his estimation, their human wave tactics ought to have caused the amount of deaths to increase consistently over time; yet, the opposite was now taking place. He knew Zabuza, Kimiko, and Haku couldn't have finished off the mob by themselves already – not with the way they were fighting – so the lack of activity within the fog made no sense…

…Unless the mercenaries were retreating and no longer advancing into the fog.

Kakashi froze in place, quickly running that line of thought down.

Why would the mercenaries stop their advance? As far as they knew, they had advantage in numbers, and he and his companions were tired from subduing Naruto. That was the logical conclusion to this situation.

Furthermore, given Gato's character, the idea of the business man abandoning his attack over something as commonplace as mist seemed odd. Everything about the man screamed overconfidence and bluster.

Unless they had misjudged him?

Kakashi eyed the place on his arm where the Uzumaki tattoo had been temporarily placed. Quickly, he sent a chakra message over the link, hoping he was wrong.

Unfortunately, he wasn't.

Kimiko quickly confirmed his auditory observation that the mercenaries were charging less and less. Many of her most recent victims – the screams he could still hear on occasion – happened to be lost mercenaries, not members of a vanguard.

He had little doubt this also applied to Zabuza, whose dark chuckles had also lost their gleeful edge.

Which meant Gato wasn't as much of a stubborn idiot as they'd first thought. The wily businessman had clearly some brain cells left in that insidious pit of filth he called a mind.

But if that was the case, then it was Kakashi's job to counter the counter-move. Sending another message through the tattoo, he hoped his strategy had gotten through effectively enough, because otherwise this one-sided battle could turn ugly very fast.

It was laughable, really; being gifted with the ability to use chakra, modern shinobis should have had no problem with mercenaries, especially A and S Rank shinobis like his current makeshift team. However, all it really took to kill a shinobi was a solid plan and a lucky shot.

Both of which became considerably easier to achieve if you had the numbers to carry out the sort of plans this would require, and had the pick of the battlefield. Both advantages which Gato held.

Zabuza's mist had managed to rebalance the scales for a bit, but Kakashi personally doubted that Gato's numbers had been significantly affected by the mist slaughter.

Maybe two dozen jutsus flew through his mind that he _knew_ would put an end to this situation, with Gato's forces wholly routed and his team out in one piece. Unfortunately, most of them would also cause substantial collateral damage, and he couldn't confirm whether or not there were still civilians in the area who hadn't been able to get out since Naruto began his rampage.

A Kiri or Iwa nin might not have cared and gone through with the devastation, but Konoha had a public image to protect, handicap or not.

That meant he would have to keep things localized, and ensure that Zabuza did the same.

Beads of sweat began to accumulate on his brow as his mind raced through every possibility. The mist's humidity was causing him to feel a bit hazy, which wasn't all that surprising – in fact, if the mercenaries had kept up their charge, this would've been a boon to him and his squad.

"Zabuza!" he called out. "They're not going to fall for the mist anymore. Best take it down," he observed.

He heard a soft, disgruntled grunt, before his eyesight began improving, until he could see the bodies of his victims on the ground once again, followed by hazy figures nearby, and finally the buildings and mob of mercenaries waiting about twelve meters from the edge of the mist.

Within moments, Kimiko, Haku, and Zabuza rejoined him, all of them distinctly bearing spatters of blood on their clothing. None of it seemed theirs, either.

"Only three, Kakashi?" Zabuza growled in what seemed like a mix of irritation and amusement. "You're getting soft."

"Someone had to keep an eye on Naruto-sama, you thick-headed brute," Kimiko sneered.

The glare Zabuza shot her could've melted ice. "Ah? You want a go, bitch?" he snarled.

"Knock it off, you two," Kakashi stepped in then. They couldn't afford arguments right now, not with Gato still looking so confident. Anyone else, and Kakashi would've called it hubris, but the man gave off a vibe that said he wasn't as stupid as he looked. "Focus that anger on the one who really matters."

Both Kimiko and Zabuza exchanged a hateful glance before turning their attention forward, weapons ready. "Gato," they agreed, almost in unison.

"Thank you for that, Hatake-san," Kakashi heard Zabuza's assistant say softly. "This is hardly an opportune moment to settle any grudges."

Kakashi nodded in acknowledgement before eyeing the rest of their surroundings. The mob at their back seemed to have thinned the most, while the one in front seemed grimly determined. In both cases, it seemed as though their center had become remarkably more sparse, but he had no doubts this was just bait.

"They're baiting us to move, to charge head on," he observed. "I'll bet you anything they've taken over those buildings on the flanks and are lying in ambush."

Zabuza growled. "You know, these infantile tactics are starting to piss me off," the missing nin said, glaring at his foes. "Treating us like common grunts. I've got half a mind to lay waste to the town!"

Judging from Kimiko's expression, Kakashi surmised that she felt quite similar.

Unfortunately, collateral damage was something Konoha tried to avoid at all costs. It came with the whole "good guy" image they'd been trying to sell to the general public. As such, it was absolutely necessary to exhaust all other possible options before going nuts.

Fortunately, he wasn't considered one of the smartest shinobi in Konoha for nothing.

"We don't need to play their game," he told his comrades, rubbing his shoulder. "Just keep them busy for a little while longer."

Kimiko eyed him with a narrowed gaze before nodding, followed by Haku. Zabuza was far less obliging.

"What the hell's crawling up your sleeve, Kakashi?" he asked, that feral gleam in his eyes returning.

Kakashi kept his gaze fixed upon the enemies to his front. "Just a little surprise."

URURURURURURUR

_**Naruto's Mindscape…**_

Well, as far as Naruto could tell, his rampage was over with.

That was the good news.

The bad news, on the other hand, was somewhat more precarious — even if he was done being a small force of doom and destruction, he still couldn't seem to wake up. He eyed the open pipe that had funneled the Kyuubi's chakra before, and saw it had actually disappeared, revealing only a flat surface where once there had been a ditch.

Looking behind him, he saw the endless expanse of the sewer tunnel he seemed to be stuck in. He had tried to walk, then run down its length as far as he could, in the hopes of finding an exit of some kind, but nothing had worked. The moment he turned back to look at the cage, he found himself standing no more than a dozen meters from its gigantic bars, the Kyuubi looking quite bemused by his futile escape attempts.

_**Pathetic.**_

Naruto closed his eyes and tightened his fists as he remained hunched over, breathing deeply as he ended his latest escape attempt. The Kyuubi's snide remarks weren't helping, of course, and he was sure it knew as much. It never passed up a chance to belittle him, after all.

"Not appreciating the snark there, hairball," he said irritably.

Another throaty chuckle from the giant fox monster thing.

_**I know.**_

Well, if he hadn't been sure before, he certainly was now.

"How about helping me out of this hole, instead of flapping your gums?" he snapped, looking back at the Kyuubi, who merely shifted in an attempt to get comfortable.

The giant fox monster snorted, which just seemed wrong to Naruto. Giant monsters shouldn't snort. They should destroy, ravage stuff, and eventually get taken down by the gallant hero...but they shouldn't snort.

_**And rob myself of the first instance of amusement I have had in decades? I think not.**_

Great, so now he was the world's largest allergy menace's personal amusement. Somehow, that actually ticked him off more than actually being stuck in this place.

"You think this is funny, jackass?" he challenged, stepping closer to the cage. "If I don't get out of here, we're _both_ screwed!"

An amused growl answered him. _**Oh? Please, enlighten me, jailer. How could my situation possibly get any worse?**_

Naruto stared at the fox for a moment, actually a bit stumped. As far as he knew, there may not actually be any way for the beast's situation to get worse, save for…

"You could be dead," he said, managing to stay oddly calm. He didn't know where he'd got the willpower to keep his infamous temper in check, but he was glad for it. "Neither of us knows what's going on anymore, right?"

Silence answered him. For once, the fox's expression betrayed nothing but cool contemplation. It seemed as though Naruto's words had managed to get through to him.

"Considering I've actually managed to shut you up, I'm going to go with a yes on that end," Naruto quipped, before pointing towards the unending tunnel behind him. "So right now, how do you know no one's trying to kill us? Or capture us?" he quickly added, that particular dimension not really striking him until right now. "What if I wake up, and we're forced to act like someone's attack dog?"

_**I AM THE KYUUBI, MAGGOT! I AM NO ONE'S DOG!**_

The monster's furious roar almost killed Naruto's hearing, until he realized that he wasn't actually a physical person right now, and was therefore immune to such wounds in here. However, he was pleased to see he'd managed to hit a sore spot. Perhaps the fox monster hated being compared to a common canine, or perhaps it was just a point of pride. Whatever the case, Naruto was happy to exploit it.

"Then help me get out of here, before that becomes a very probable reality!" he argued. "You obviously know more about this place than I do! So how about you drop the asshole routine and help me find a way out?"

The Kyuubi's glare, had it been a physical force, would've likely vaporized him. However, behind that rage, he saw its monstrous intelligence hard at work, until finally its lips curled into a feral smile.

_**Manipulating me to your own gains? There might be hope for you yet…**_

The beast chuckled as it curled up again on the floor, apparently once again ready to nap.

"Hey! Didn't we just agree to helping me get out of here?!" Naruto demanded.

_**Quiet, jailer.**_ Naruto froze, seeing the Kyuubi's golden eyes trained on him. _**I made no such promise.**_

The fox then chuckled. _**However, I have never been so amused by a measly little human maggot. So consider this a one time boon.**_

The fox brought out a limb and pointed a claw at him. _**This place is not some random location, jailer. It is an alternate reality formed of your chakra and mine, linking our minds together. What you see is but a meager reflection of our relationship. The more hatred we feel towards one another, the worse the surroundings.**_

Naruto looked around him and, given that the place looked like a sewer, had a fair guess about how badly the mutual hate was. He hadn't even been aware of it right until the fox threw it in his face.

"So how do I get out?" he asked impatiently.

_**Patience.**_ The Kyuubi seemed to be enjoying drawing this out. _**As this place is a link of our minds, then our minds control our ability to leave this reality. At least, that would be the case for myself, were it not for this DAMNABLE SEAL!**_

The increase in hostility was swiftly accompanied by a swipe of its tails against the bars, which reverberated, but otherwise stood firm.

"Haha, sucks to be you," Naruto mocked childishly.

The glare was back, but the Kyuubi managed to keep it in check this time, as it merely stared at him hatefully.

_**In your case, however, your ability to leave is directly related to your state of mind. The more you give in to anguish, to hatred, to vengeance, to bloodlust...the easier you will slip into this place, and the more willing you will become in freeing me.**_

Naruto was about to protest, until he remembered what had happened when he'd "released his senses," so to speak. He had almost released the Kyuubi then.

"So either I become a monk, or I risk losing control. Gotcha," Naruto summed up skeptically.

_**Silence, before I change my mind!**_ the beast snapped, before lowering its head onto its paws again. _**As I was saying, if negative emotions anchor you here, then the opposite must be true. You are still here simply because, whatever little speech you gave yourself, there is….a part of you holding you back.**_

Naruto cocked his head to the side, completely baffled by this concept. Another side to him? That's crazy. He was fully in control of his feelings now, and he was all about kicking Gato's ass as payback, and then getting himself some ramen. Why? Because ramen was the food for champions.

"I don't get it," he said bluntly.

The Kyuubi rolled its eyes, clearly unimpressed by the statement. It was oddly unsettling to see the gigantic force of nature act in such a human fashion.

_**I am unsurprised. Your intelligence leaves a lot to be desired.**_

"Oi!"

_**However, as you've managed to convince me — a small miracle by itself — we both benefit if you survive this ordeal and remain with the maggots from your village. Therefore, I will try to lower my vocabulary to your standards.**_

The giant fox shifted again and brought out a claw to point at him. _**You think you have accepted yourself, your flaws, your responsibilities...but you are kidding yourself. There is a part of you that remains terrified of all of it, and that is why you remain here, with me, rather than out there, with the other maggots.**_

Naruto stared at the Kyuubi silently for a while, unwilling to betray the internal debate raging within. Was the fox right? Was he keeping himself in here, just to avoid dealing with all the crap waiting for him out there?

His knee jerk reaction was to tell off the Kyuubi and go on about how he was unstoppable, but this recent experience had tamed his wild spirit just a bit. Enough to reflect on another's words, even if they weren't what he wanted to hear.

If he was completely honest with himself, then, he had to concede that perhaps the giant furball had a point. As determined as he'd been to get out there and kick ass and eat ramen, he still felt something holding him back. Something intangible.

"I'm afraid to fail," he said softly, clutching at his black shirt.

The Kyuubi let out a soft, throaty growl. _**You begin to understand, but you are not yet there,**_ it conceded, before turning its attention to the tunnel behind Naruto. _**Yet it seems even this small measure of self-reflection has been enough. Your way is open, jailer.**_

Naruto turned to look at whatever had caught the Kyuubi's attention, and a small smile grew on his face as he observed a door materialize not too far. "A door, huh?" he mused. "How cheesy."

_**Simple things from a simple mind,**_ the Kyuubi snorted. _**Leave now, jailer, and thank your gods that this meeting ended as it did. Next time, I **__**will**__** escape this hell.**_

Naruto turned to smirk at the Kyuubi, raising a fist in challenge. "Dream on, fuzz-butt," he declared. "The only way out of Naruto-sama is over his dead body!"

With that, the blonde would-be hero ran for the door, leaving behind a bemused Kyuubi.

_**If it comes to that.**_

URURURURURURUR

_**Wave…**_

"Really hoping that plan of yours starts soon, Kakashi," Zabuza growled as he pulled another arrow from his shoulder. It wasn't too deep, so he wasn't that worried about being significantly hindered.

Even so, Gato had proven to be one wily asshat. The midget businessman had pulled all his mercenaries back from the shinobi group and lined them up near civilian households, in so doing preventing Kakashi, and by extension the rest of the group, from using the most dangerous of their abilities.

A handicap they did not share.

Firing from all sides, the shinobi group was saved from a rather unpleasant time by Haku's incredible ice abilities, which once again drew a raised eyebrow from Kimiko and Kakashi. However, short of creating a solid dome — which would kill their visibility — there was no way to shut out _every_ arrow, and sometimes these got lucky.

That explained the small cuts and gashes each shinobi wore. It also explained why Zabuza's mood and compassion was rapidly dwindling.

"Soon, Zabuza," Kakashi assured him, while mentally wondering what the hell was taking so long. He'd really hoped his plan would have kicked in by now, as he was having just as hard a time trying to keep the arrows from gutting either himself, or his comatose student.

"I really wish they hadn't brought shields, though," Haku's feminine voice spoke up then, the masked shinobi heaving a little in exertion as he kept up the ice walls.

As Haku had stated, the mercenaries, apparently having known of Haku's abilities, had brought out large, metal shields that were protecting the front line from Haku's icicles. The move had been a remarkable stroke of cunning from Gato, especially given that Kakashi had expected him to hire run of the mill mercenaries. Yet, from the looks of his foes, these seemed to be former soldiers and samurai. Meaning they knew how to deal with shinobi, to some extent. On any barren battlefield, that wouldn't have meant squat.

But in the middle of a populated area? Things became trickier.

"Little toad's got something between those ears, then" Zabuza growled.

"I say we charge, Kakashi," Kimiko opined, staring hatefully at the mercenaries before them. "By staying here, we are merely delaying the inevitable. We should send away Naruto-sama with a clone, and take matters into our own hands."

Which would've have been great, were it not for the fact that clones were remarkably fragile and unable to use chakra, unless they were Shadow Clones, and had a limited range of usability.

"Give it a little more time," he insisted. "We won't be let down."

His motley crew of colleagues eyed him skeptically — he _knew_ Haku was eyeing him, even with that mask! — but kept their tongues. Only Zabuza showed his frustration by growling.

And then, just as Kakashi was about to call it quits, his own patience having been nearly exhausted, something blew up at the rear of the mercenary army.

"What the fuck?" Zabuza yelled, even as a few more blasts tore through the mercenary army, which quickly began to lose its cohesion as panic set in. "Who brought the fucking bombs and didn't say so?!" he roared.

Kakashi let out a sigh of relief, even as Kimiko did the same. Both Konoha-nins exchanged a look of tolerant exasperation before nodding and sliding back into combat stances.

"Don't lose focus," he warned the two missing nin. "The cavalry's just arrived."

A gleeful laugh broke through the air then, even as a gust of wind blew up some dust around the defending shinobi. All of them raised their arms to shield themselves, cautiously waiting to see what had happened.

As the dust died down, they were treated to a wonderful sight: a giant eagle, hovering just a bit off the ground. Three people stood upon its back, looking all too pleased with themselves — though one seemed about to faint from embarrassment.

"Hey guys!" Hikari greeted cheerfully, before jutting her thumb behind her. "So, is this a private party, or can anyone join in?"

Kakashi chuckled as he gestured to Haku, who brought down the ice walls. "Good timing, Hikari-san," he commended, before spying his two students. "I see you two are back on your feet."

"Hey sensei!" Kiba greeted energetically, seemingly recovered from his wounds. "We're here to save the day!"

Hinata just nodded in greeting at the group, mumbling a shy greeting.

Behind them, something else exploded, which caused Kakashi to raise an eyebrow.

"If that's not you, then who's blowing things up?" he asked the other Uzumaki clanswoman. Hikari grinned fiercely.

"You know how Gato's got the Daimyo in his back pocket?" she all but purred. Kakashi nodded. "Well, turns out the Daimyo's soldiers weren't that happy with the arrangement."

"A mutiny?" Kimiko asked, coming forward to pet the eagle. For some reason, she had always felt a close affinity to animals, even if she didn't seem capable of taking care of them.

Hikari eyed her clanmate warily for a while, undoubtedly remembering her last encounter. "Full out insurrection," she corrected. "They're calling for the Daimyo and Gato's heads. Seems they're tired of being used as Gato's goon squad."

"That's too sudden," Zabuza spoke up then, instantly putting Hikari and Kakashi's students on edge. "No way you managed to convince them out of the blue."

Hikari glared at the missing nin, before catching Kimiko's nod. Confused by the turn of events, Hikari decided to just let it slide for now. She was about to respond, however, when Kiba decided to answer for her.

"Wasn't us, jackass!" Kiba snapped, pointing at him. "And what the hell are you doing being buddy-buddy with Kakashi-sensei?!"

Zabuza glared right back. "Right now, wondering if it was worth it," he growled, his hand reaching for his sword. He was stopped by Kakashi putting a hand on his forearm.

"They don't know anything about what went down," the masked Konoha-nin pointed out. "Go easy on them."

Zabuza growled throatily, but nodded and put his hand back down. "My question stands: who managed to get those spineless cowards to sack up?" he asked.

"The villagers," Hikari answered. "They've risen up. Don't know how, don't know why, but it looks to me like our being here, fighting for Tazuna, really gave them a kick in the ass."

"Idiots," Zabuza grunted, before turning away. Kakashi glanced at the missing nin.

"Leaving?"

Zabuza snorted. "Love to, but I'm still one midget head short. I need me that mantlepiece."

"No."

The sudden interruption of another voice to the conversation stopped the party cold, as the shinobi turned to see Naruto slowly getting to his feet, looking haggard and perhaps a bit beat up, but no worse for wear. He gave his allies a tired grin, but eventually got to his feet.

"No killing Gato," he said. Hinata eeped at the sight of her crush being so beat up, while Kiba and Hikari were much less restrained, tackling him not a hug. Kakashi gave a sigh of relief, while Kimiko closed her eyes with a satisfied smile. Only Haku and Zabuza did not join in. In fact, the taller of the two seemed downright irritated.

"I'd like to see you stop me from getting what's mine, shrimp," he dared, reaching for his blade handle. Almost immediately, the atmosphere stopped being one of celebration at Naruto's reawakening, and one of imminent conflict.

Everyone's hands seemed ready to either reach for a weapon or mold into appropriate hand seals. Even Hinata seemed ready to deliver a Juuken strike at Zabuza.

Not that this would be necessary, as Naruto rose a hand. "You don't need to kill Gato," he said.

"Yeah, but it'd make me feel good," Zabuza said with a shrug. "It's a matter of principle."

"And what do you think the good people of this country will do to him when they get their hands on him?" Naruto asked. "He hasn't done to you anything he hasn't done to these people a hundred times over."

Zabuza eyed the blonde brat warily. "Then what's the difference between me gutting him now and these idiots killing him later?" he asked.

"Closure," Naruto said, looking pale as he gazed at the destruction around him. He had been the cause of it, he knew, and he felt sick to his stomach for it. If his memory served, this whole area had once been the backalleys of a town block. Now, it was a barren wasteland, with debris scattered about. As though a tsunami had swept the entire place away.

"Naruto," Kakashi spoke up, putting a hand on his student's shoulder. "I get what you're trying to do, but there is no guarantee that Gato will get a fair trial if he's caught by the villagers. Or even taken alive."

Kimiko nodded. "We have seen this often enough," she agreed. "The oppressed tend to lash out against their tyrants when given the chance for vengeance."

"Then we need to capture him!" Naruto argued.

"Enough," Kakashi said, tightening his grip on his student's shoulder. "Gato's fate is not our concern, beyond whatever fate Zabuza has in store for him," he said. "As part of our agreement in securing his help, I promised to leave Gato to him."

Naruto stared up at Kakashi, wide eyed. He seemed about ready to protest, but Hikari shook her head at him once, very firmly.

"This is the shinobi way," she said.

Naruto didn't seem ready to accept that, but stayed silent for now. Kiba patted him on the shoulder in commiseration.

"For now, we should…" Kakashi continued, before noticing something approaching them fast; one of his tracker dogs, Pakkun. "You're back."

The rest of the shinobi turned to see the small pug, panting but unharmed. "Found the old guy," he reported, much to the surprise of Kiba, Hinata, and Hikari. They'd never seen a dog _talk_. Even Hikari, who actually used wolf summons, had never actually _spoken_ with one of her lesser summons. They just barked at her. The pug looked at the assembled shinobi, finally noticing there seemed to be more than before, before giving a very human-like shrug. "It's not good."

Kakashi eyed Naruto, whose expression turned blank, before nodding. "Haku-san, could you and Hikari go with Pakkun?" he asked the masked shinobi. Said person turned to Zabuza for confirmation, which he gave by way of a silent nod.

"Very well, Hatake-san," Haku agreed.

"Hey, why do _I_ have to go?" Hikari protested. "I want to fight, too!" she made a show of winding up her arms.

"Because with the help of your summons," he nodded at the giant eagle which had been patiently watching the whole discussion, " you can get there faster and get him out faster, safe and sound."

Hikari pouted, but then nodded. "Fine. Alright, mask boy...girl...whatever you are," she pointed at Haku, then Pakkun, "and pancake face. Hop on and let's go!"

"Who're you calling pancake face, woman?!" the pug demanded indignantly, right before he was grabbed by the scruff by Haku and forced to join Hikari on her eagle. Within a moment, the eagle was back in the sky.

Chuckling from Hikari's offbeat nature, which successfully managed to lift the mood a bit, he turned towards the fighting around them. On every flank, the enemy forces had split into the pro- and anti-Gato factions, and it didn't seem as though the fighting was about to die down.

"Now then," he said calmly, lifting his headband to reveal his Sharingan eye, even as Zabuza drew his blade and made a few, stretching moves. Kiba and Naruto, reading the mood, craned their necks and stretched their arms, while Hinata and Kimiko slid into ready stances, Byakugan and weapons at the ready.

"Let's finish this fight, shall we?"

Zabuza grunted. "It's about fucking time."

URURURURURURUR

_**Nearby…**_

Gato had a very simple motto for life.

Dream big, live big.

For the most part, he'd kept to that mantra quite faithfully. Despite being a native of Nami, then a backwater outpost of Mizu, he had managed to do right by himself by being cautious with his money and investing in all the right things. What had been a small fishing boat became a larger fishing boat. Then the fishing boat was worked by two men he'd hired to do it for him. Then the fishing boat became two, and the crews and intake doubled. Then he opened his own stall at the market, and used the daily catch to sell under the usual market rate, causing his competitors to go bust.

The wheel turned, and his dreams grew bigger. What was a simple fishing company eventually invested in cargo ships. At first, small ones, designed to bring Nami's products to Hi, then to Mizu. Eventually, his cargo ships reached all the way to Umi and Kaminari. Eventually, even the barbarians who lived further east had traded with him. Eventually, his trading business even included overland caravans, to the point where even the Tsuchikage and Kazekage had a vested interest in keeping his company around.

Money ruled the world, and Gato was an _expert_ at making money.

So, all right, maybe he had dabbled in some illegal trade here and there. Blockade running for eastern warlords, human trafficking here and there...maybe even some drug and weapons smuggling. Who cared? He wasn't hurting anyone important, and the world moved on.

That was why, when he heard that Mizu was thinking of abandoning Nami to its fate, he had seen a golden opportunity.

His company headquarters had been, at the time, located in Hi no Kuni's capital. However, his shady reputation had caused some court officials to begin questioning his continued stay, even if his company's continued business was still in high demand. Therefore, he needed to find a nice, quiet place he could settle down and rule his company without any major interference.

And what better puppet than a bankrupt Daimyo?

So, yeah, he funded Nami's Daimyo. Sure, he extracted unthinkable trading and security concessions. In practice, in fact, Gato effectively ruled over the island's entire armed forces. All two thousand conscripts.

Pathetic, but useful.

Goons didn't need training to be violently effective, after all. As long as they knew where the sharp end went, and obeyed his every command, he didn't much care whether they were the Kaminari Daimyo's renowned Thunder Brigade, or some idiot with a club.

His calculations and plans were precise, far reaching. He oppressed the people of his native country, sure, but at the same time he had known to leave enough breathing room for them to have something to lose. Desperate people made for dangerous foes, while bonds made them indecisive, fearful.

So many plans, so much success.

Gone.

The moment he had seen the villagers flank his mercenaries from behind, where he'd stationed the Daimyo's troops, he had known something had gone wrong. Yet, he hadn't been worried. Why would his soldiers be in any danger from a bunch of hicks with pans and rakes?

Then a small boy stepped forward and began yelling at them. He'd almost laughed.

Yet said laugh died in his throat when other adults joined him, and he saw the troops slowly change their expressions from grim resignation to resentment and finally, mutiny. He knew mutiny; no one who'd worked on a ship was unfamiliar with that look.

Naturally, he'd fled immediately. His mercenaries were accustomed to dealing with shinobi, certainly, but he had also taken the time to equip and train the Daimyo's troops for such combat, just in case he needed them to take care of Zabuza and other shinobis like him.

However, it seemed as though he had gravely underestimated their discontent at being used as his personal death squads.

Within moments of his flight, he heard the Daimyo's troops charge the mercenaries, an act which was repeated on the other side of the encirclement. The Daimyo's banners were thrown down, and, as he stopped to take a breath, cursing his lack of physical fitness, he saw the mercenaries completely collapse under the surprise attack.

And then he heard explosions.

He had given the soldiers explosives in order for them to have something to keep the shinobi at bay. Yet now, they were being used to tear his mercenaries apart.

Perhaps that was the exact moment he knew everything was over for him in Nami.

Even if he escaped here, even if he managed to reach the Daimyo's palace, there was no trusting the remaining garrison: especially once they heard about what had gone down in this town.

The Daimyo would be hung for his tolerance of Gato, undoubtedly. His offices and warehouses would be ransacked, and he'd lose millions of ryo in lost merchandise.

Yet he would be alive, and still quite wealthy. He could survive such setbacks, and indeed had backup plans for such situations. He hadn't built the empire he had by being some overconfident tool, after all.

Right now, there was a ship he owned docked at the town's river port. Navigating the rivers that criss crossed the island was the fastest method of getting around, and the prime reason he had been able to deploy so many troops as fast as he had. Therefore, he made a point of having a ship anchored at every dock in Nami to ensure that he had a way out if anything went belly up.

Like now, for instance.

He grinned as he saw, through the beads of sweat dripping down his face, the docks ahead. With all the commotion in the center of town, he knew that no one would be around here. Quickly, he made his way down the docks towards the small sailboat he knew would be there. Ideally, he'd have someone else manage it, while he rested. However, given the situation, that was unlikely to happen. Fortunately, he still remembered how to sail.

Jumping into the small boat, he quickly set to task in getting everything ready, not for the first time finding his small stature a bit of a pain. He was just about ready to set sail, a surge of relief building within him, when he heard someone click their tongue.

That wasn't possible. There was no one else around here, save himself.

Slowly, the businessman turned around, and felt his heart figuratively stop. Sitting, easy-as-you-please on the steering bench, was Zabuza, his gigantic blade hefted onto its shoulders, still dripping blood. The masked shinobi seemed a bit scratched up, and there were hastily crafted bandages adorning his shoulder, but no worse for wear.

"Leaving without saying goodbye, Gato?" the masked shinobi rumbled.

"Z-Zabuza!" Gato squawked. "B-But, the mercenaries! The fight!"

"What, that?" Zabuza nudged his head towards the fighting behind them. "It got boring real quick. Figured the others could handle it, while I had a _real nice_ _chat_ with my _favorite_ scumbag employer."

Despite the situation, Gato couldn't help but feel indignant at the turn of events. He had paid the man. PAID HIM. There had been a contract, and Zabuza had failed to uphold his end!

"You were paid in full, Zabuza!" Gato snapped. "You did your job, and that was that!"

Zabuza's blade suddenly appeared at his neck, sitting just one millimeter away from slicing it open.

The masked man clicked his tongue and wagged his finger at Gato reprovingly. "Now, now, Gato. No need to get impolite."

"I thought...we had a deal…" Gato said through clenched teeth.

Zabuza nodded. "And we did...right up until you were going to sell me out to Mizu," he said calmly. "Or did you forget to mention that the moment I'd hit Mizu, I'd have Hunter-nin on my ass?"

Gato glared, furious at having been caught out. Yes, he'd planned to have Zabuza killed; even if his reputation was shady, Gato had managed to avoid the stigma of outright murder throughout his entire career. People didn't like doing business with murderers. Therefore, the only way out he'd seen for this little quandary was to silence Zabuza.

"It wasn't personal," he grated out. There was no sense lying; he could see in Zabuza's eyes that he wouldn't believe a word anyway. "Just business."

Zabuza cocked his head sideways, his gaze firm. "Yeah?" he mused. "So's this."

Zabuza's blade retracted from Gato's neck just a bit, and in a flash, all Gato felt was an instant of sharp pain, and blackness.

URURURURURURUR

_**Main Town Square…**_

Kakashi had been through his fair share of battles. When he'd been a boy, he'd participated in an actual war. Therefore, when he and his students joined the fray, aided by Kimiko, to him it felt like riding a bike — you could go out of practice for a bit, but once you got started, you fell right back into old habits.

Keeping his steps fluid, he used his kunai to slice his way through the enemy ranks with astonishing speed, making sure never to stop for too long anywhere, to prevent what few archers remained to get a clear shot.

More often than not, however, he was forced to cover for his students, who despite their advanced skills — compared to the average Genin, that is — were still acting rashly and showboating more than was wise.

Fortunately, he didn't see them kill anyone yet, so he supposed that was a plus. The first kill was always hardest, and the younger the killer was, the more screwed up their minds became, if not treated fast enough. He knew; he'd been there.

Though, as previously stated, he hadn't seen Kiba, Hinata, or Naruto kill anyone yet. Hurt, yes; in fact, he was sure a few would never walk straight ever again, or be able to reproduce; but kill? Nah.

Kimiko was another story entirely, however. The redheaded young woman tore through the mercenary forces like an infuriated angel unleashed. Her twin spears skewered, slashed, and tore with almost reckless abandon, were it not for the calculated movements he realized were behind them.

An arrow had once nearly reached him, and in the middle of an upward slash, Kimiko had flipped her grip on one of her spears, locked onto the offending archer, and thrown the spear so powerfully that the man flew for a few meters before falling out of sight, the spear embedded in him.

Fortunately for his peace of mind, however, the battle quickly resolved itself. Without Gato around to harden their resolve with promise of money, the mercenaries, who probably valued their lives over any contract, began to lay down their arms, to the rising cheers of the mutinous soldiers and rebelling villagers.

But while his students joined in with the cheering, especially when Inari finally found Naruto and begged for his forgiveness for acting like a brat, Kakashi's attention was almost immediately redirected towards an incoming eagle.

After making sure the army archers wouldn't fire, Kakashi walked over to the middle of the square, where the eagle landed. Pakkun quickly hopped off, followed by three more people: Haku, Hikari, and Tazuna.

Except Tazuna wasn't walking, or hopping, or anything. Tazuna was currently being laid on the ground by Haku and Hikari, the latter of whom looked grim.

"He's alive?" he asked as he came near.

"Barely," Hikari informed him. "It's...bad, Kakashi," she admitted, seeing the celebrations start to die down around them, probably out of curiosity over what was happening. "If Sora was here, then maybe…"

She looked away, though Kakashi could spy a few tears forming at the corner of her eyes.

He drew nearer and knelt by Tazuna, whose breathing was incredibly shallow. Eyeing the rest of the bridge builder's body, he spied the three areas where the arrows had hit him. Rather than being clean wounds, however, it would appear as though Naruto's rampage had basically caused the wounds to worsen. There was no medical craft short of a trained healer that could save him now.

"S-Sensei?"

Kakashi's eyes widened, realizing he had forgotten about his students. Turning, he held up a hand. "Hinata, Kiba, Naruto! Stay there!" he ordered.

"What's going on?" Kiba demanded, pointing to his nose. "I smell blood!"

"S-Sensei?" Hinata asked softly, feeling rather anxious at the way her teacher was acting. What could rattle such a seasoned warrior, after all?

"Just...stay there!" Kakashi insisted, before turning to Hikari. "We've got to get him out of here. This isn't the place for—"

"It's the old man, isn't it?" Naruto asked suddenly.

Kakashi closed his eyes, cut in mid sentence, and cursed softly as he heard Hinata gasp and Kiba swear. Then, moments later, the situation worsened.

"G-Grandpa?"

Well, if he'd wanted to spare Inari of the trauma of seeing his grandfather die in this state, he had now utterly failed on that end as well.

A shot blur quickly reached Tazuna's other side and looked down at the dying man with tears rapidly forming. Inari grabbed his grandfather's arm and shook it. "Grandpa! Wake up!" he begged. "C'mon, grandpa! Y-You can't...c-can't…"

Whatever else the boy wanted to say was lost in his sobs as he latched onto his grandfather's arm.

"Don't leave me..." the boy sobbed.

Kakashi turned his gaze downward, intellectually knowing that he was not responsible for Tazuna's death, but somehow emotionally feeling guilty as hell. He heard Hinata cry softly, while Kiba was sniffing quite intermittently. Naruto, for his part, just looked down. Perhaps, instinctually, the boy knew that his rampage had likely sealed the man's fate.

Ironic.

"Kakashi," Hikari said softly.

The veteran jounin looked up and saw that all around them, men and women from the village and the Daimyo's troops had come near and were similarly mourning Tazuna's fate. The soldiers, less familiar with the man, closed their eyes and bowed their heads in respect.

"Inari," a man spoke up, walking up to the weeping boy and gently laying hands on his shoulders. "I'm sorry, my boy."

Inari just wept on, still firmly latched onto his grandfather's arm.

"It's a damned tragedy," the man continued, looking at the bridge builder's dying body sadly. "But there's nothing that could be done."

Apparently, those were the wrong words, as Inari stopped weeping. "Nothing?" he asked softly, before snapping his gaze back up to Kakashi and the other shinobi. "Nothing?" he asked again, a little louder.

He pointed an accusing finger at Kakashi. "You were supposed to protect him!" he yelled. "That was your job!"

Kakashi looked away, knowing the boy had a point. Yet, even if that was the case, he also intellectually knew that the situation had forced their hand, and saving Tazuna from public execution had been, in itself, a high-risk gamble. One that had both succeeded, and spectacularly failed.

"Inari…" Hinata tried, only to be cut off by the boy's hateful glare.

"No!" he shouted. "You lied! All of you, you lied!" he accused. "You said you'd keep him safe! Keep him from Gato! And what happened, he's going to die because of you! Because you couldn't just leave us alone!"

Despite his sadness at Tazuna's inevitable fate, Kiba started to flush angrily, prompting Naruto to put a hand on his chest, in order to prevent him from doing anything rash. It was a jarring change, considering that a few weeks ago, it would have been Naruto who needed to be stopped from lashing out.

"I hate you!" the boy continued yelling, and Kakashi could see the villagers' mood start to darken a bit. It seemed that, in the absence of another scapegoat, they were rather willing to blame the shinobi for the death of so respected a figure. Already, Kakashi made plans to get his team out of there, blades swinging if need be.

"I hate you! I hate—!"

SMACK.

In a flash, Tazuna's free arm had lashed out and smacked his grandson upside the head.

"Gran...Grandpa?" Inari asked, stunned at the sudden blow from his dying grandfather, and holding his head in pain.

Tazuna sighed, before flinching in pain, slowly coming to once more. "Figures you wouldn't even let me die in peace," the old man grumbled. He flinched again. "Ah, crap, that hurts...Jeez, where's a bottle of booze when you need it?"

"Tazuna…" Kakashi spoke up. This wasn't exactly the way he'd imagined things would play out.

"Yeah, yeah," the bridge builder said resignedly. "I'm super screwed. I can feel it," he said. "Ain't gonna live to see that super jackass Gato get what's coming to him, either," he added. "Pity that; would've loved to see that asshat suffer a bit."

Weakly, the old man raised his arm and motioned to Naruto. "Oi, brat, c'mere. I got words for you."

"Grandpa, no! He got you killed!" Inari protested.

Tazuna snorted, and then flinched. "Right, ow. As if. Damnit, Inari, where the hell did ya get your brains from? 'Cause it sure ain't from your mom," he remarked, before looking at Naruto, who silently knelt by his side, next to Kakashi. "You. You open your ears and listen good, aye?"

Naruto nodded silently.

Tazuna glanced down at his wounds, from which blood was slowly leaking out more and more. "This...this ain't on you. It's on the jerks who shot me. It's on Gato. It ain't on you."

Naruto said nothing for a moment, before shaking his head. "I should've protected you better," he said.

"Naruto…" Kakashi started, hoping to comfort his student, before Tazuna snorted, yelping again in pain.

"Ow, fuck!" the man cursed. "Yer damn right ye should have!" he said with a chuckled. "But what's past is past. You took down Gato; hell! ye freed my country. We're square."

"I…"

"Naruto-sama," Kimiko said warningly. Naruto glared back at her, but this time, she stood her ground. "To refuse a dying man's words is a grave insult. A man of honor listens to one who dies with honor."

Naruto seemed surprised by the observation, then slowly nodded, turning back to Tazuna.

"You're...welcome, I guess."

Tazuna barked out a laugh before yelping again in pain. "Good lad."

"Tazuna-san," The Konoha shinobi turned to see a man wearing military armor approach the fallen bridge builder. Instinctively, Inari shuffled closer to his grandfather. Even if the soldiers had mutinied, no one had forgotten how they had done Gato's bidding for a while. The soldier seemed unfazed by the act, however, and bowed. "I am Jin, of clan Takayama. I lead these soldiers. I must ask your counsel."

Tazuna eyed the soldier warily, then got into a coughing fit, which sparked alarm in Hikari as she tended to the wound. "We're losing him," she warned.

"Grandpa!"

Kakashi looked at Tazuna gravely, before glancing back at Kimiko. "Uzumaki-san, please take the Genin and conduct a patrol of the area. We don't need any stragglers hitting us now," he ordered as calmly as he could muster. He then turned to the soldier. "Whatever you've got to say, say it quick."

"Wait," Tazuna managed to gasp out, raising a hand to stop Kakashi from sending away the two Uzumaki clansmen. "Takayama-san, I am just a carpenter. I have no power over you, or anyone else here," he said weakly, his skin becoming deathly pale with alarming speed. He managed to feebly point to Kimiko and Naruto before his arm gave out. "Them...ask them...Uzu...maki…"

As Inari's yells of denial grew in volume, Tazuna gave a rattling breath before his head lolled to one side, eyes closed. There was a moment of stunned silence before Hikari placed two fingers on his neck and, after a moment, sighed dejectedly and shook her head.

"He's gone," she declared.


	21. Wave Arc: Loss

_**AN: **That's right! Legacy of Uzushiogakure's next chapter is here!_

_While I'm aware some may feel the transition between Arcs is too fast, the truth is that I never really intended on expanding too much on this transitional period. At the very least, I'm giving the whole timeline about a month or so between Nami and the Chunin Exams. Don't expect me to dwell too much on this period, however. Regarding the scene you're about to read, I took inspiration from traditional Chinese, Buddhist, and other funerary rites. I also recommend hearing "Helvegen," by Wardruna, to set the mood._

_Cheers!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Three Days Later...<strong>_

"The great Sage once said, 'the virtuous man is driven by righteousness. The inferior man, by profit.'"

Naruto kept his head bowed as Kimiko stoically recited the funerary rites. Behind her, and surrounding the entire area, were Tazuna's fellow villagers and the mutineers who'd risen against Gato and the Daimyo. All wore dark clothing, both men and women, adult and child. Many were crying softly, but none left.

They owed Tazuna that much.

Dressed in a miko's uniform, Kimiko looked strangely...common. That steely, sharp edge to her persona seemed a mere illusion right now, as she carried out her funerary duties with humility and veneration. Her fiery red hair was tied back into an unassuming ponytail, her head was bowed, and her hands were pressed together in prayer, the prayer beads dangling from her thumbs. Not once did she showboat, or turn to face the crowd. Her whole existence, at this moment, seemed dedicated to honoring the fallen.

"Honor is to the righteous man as air is to all life," she continued. "And though he leaves the mortal realm today to rejoin his ancestors, Tazuna-san has nothing to fear as his ancestors lay judgment upon him, for his was a life dedicated to the good of the people of Nami."

There was a stifled sob to his left, and Naruto afforded himself a peek. Inari was the most disconsolate of the group, and though his grandfather had asked him not to hold a grudge, Naruto had barely seen the boy in the three days following Tazuna's death. Every morning, he would go out, and every evening he would return for a silent meal, then go up to his room.

His mother had tried to keep him close, but after he'd escaped for the third time, had given up. Ordinarily, abandoning his mother would've prompted Naruto to bop the brat on the head, but given the trauma he'd just gone through, Naruto realized he really didn't have any moral high ground here.

"Spirits of the Aono Clan," a pang in his heart made Naruto wince. He had only learned of Tazuna's family name a day ago, when Kimiko had requested the man's lineage from Tsunami for the funeral. Like then, he now felt extremely guilty for not having bothered to learn even that simple fact about him.

"We come this day, the third day since the passing of your descendant, to commit his worldly body to the Earth, which supports all life; to the air, which gives all life breath; to the water, which nourishes all life."

Five men then stepped forward, each carrying a lit torch. Tazuna's unmoving, pale face was illuminated by the fire's glow, as his body lay still upon the funerary pyre, dressed in white.

Naruto watched Hikari, usually so cheerful but now subdued, strike a small drum rhythmically.

"Tazuna, of Clan Aono," Kimiko raised her voice just enough to be heard clearly over the drum. "Today is the third day of your passage to the spirit realm. The day where your spirit returns to the world to look upon your descendants. Behold and listen to the loved ones who mourn your passing."

It was like floodgates had burst open, as the villagers openly wailed. Finally, they had been allowed to let out their grief, and said grief was powerful. Empowered by the shame the villagers all felt, having left Tazuna alone in his fight against Gato, perhaps they now felt the need to make it up to the man.

It was a striking scene for Naruto, who had never truly been party to a person's death, or funeral. His hand went down to his stomach, and he realized that this scene before him was perhaps the reason so many had disliked him in the past. It was one thing to know they hated you for the deaths of hundreds of people, even if it wasn't your fault, but that of your tenant...but it was another thing entirely to see, and feel, what those losses entailed.

He looked to Tazuna's body, and bowed deep. Even in death, the old man had taught him a powerful lesson.

A soft breeze blew through the town square, and Naruto could've sworn he saw Tazuna's mouth curl into a smile in the flicker of the torches' light.

A trick of the mind, one might say. Perhaps so, but to Naruto, it was a sign the old man was here, even now.

"Tazuna-san," Kimiko then said, as the tide of wailing died down. "Please watch over your descendants, and the many thousands of lives your actions will forever change. In the Sage's sacred name."

"In the Sage's sacred name," Hikari chorused, before nodding to the men with torches. Four of them moved closer to the pyre, while the last one turned to Inari and Tsunami, and held out his torch.

Kimiko turned towards Tsunami and Inari, and held out a hand. "As Tazuna-san's loved ones, you must be the ones to free his body from the mortal world," she said, managing to even sound...kind.

Naruto could see Tsunami swallow nervously, while Inari seemed of a mind to refuse. However, his mother managed to quickly preempt that, as she thankfully took the torch with a short bow, and gently pushed her son forward, towards the pyre.

Her steps were agonizingly slow, as she and Inari approached Tazuna's body. Even in the dimming light of sunset, there was no mistaking the tremors in Tsunami's grip, as she undoubtedly steeled herself for this final act of goodbye. Though she put up a brave face, Naruto had no doubts she was perhaps the one person in this crowd who was suffering the most. She had lost two husbands, and now her father, to Gato's greed.

He felt someone tug at his _gi_, and turned to look to his right. Hinata was still crying softly, one hand covering her mouth as she stifled her sobs, while the other seemed to have unconsciously reached out to him for comfort.

Naruto didn't know what to do, so he did nothing. Truth be told, he was in no place, emotionally speaking, to comfort anyone.

"G-Goodbye...f-father," Tsunami managed to choke out, one hand finally clasping onto her mouth as she finished her words, letting out a strangled sob.

Naruto watched as she lit the pyre near Tazuna's head, which was promptly followed by the other four torchbearers applying their torches to the rest of the pyre.

As Tsunami stepped backwards, Naruto and the rest of the crowd watched as the pyre's flames took force in the soft wind, quickly building up into an inferno. He hadn't been very convinced by Kimiko's insistence that Tazuna undergo these funerary rites, and now felt even less convinced. This spectacle of violent burning didn't seem appropriate as a way to send off a kind man.

"The greater the flame, the greater the man," Kimiko announced as she raised her arms, seemingly having read his mind. "Let all present bear witness to the fire of Tazuna's soul!"

Hikari's drum sounded out in the silence that followed, as all present continued to watch silently as the pyre's fire burned higher and higher.

If the fire matched the man's soul…

Then Naruto had no doubts few present could match Tazuna's fiery spirit.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Next Day…<strong>_

It spoke volumes of Tsunami's character that she did not kick the Konoha-nins out the moment her father had died. Or even after his funeral was had.

Unlike her son, it seemed that she had taken his final words to heart, and had decided to place the blame squarely on Gato's shoulders, even if perhaps Naruto's actions had all but sealed Tazuna's fate.

Still with a base of operations, then, Kakashi had kept his team resting in the house as he tried to sort out the emotional baggage his subordinates had now accrued. Hinata, the most sensitive of the three, would occasionally burst into tears. Kiba, trying to act "like a man," had taken it upon himself to stoically weather his feelings, but there was no mistaking the repressed anger he felt during training, when he basically tried to tear everything apart. Even Akamaru seemed worried.

Perhaps the most troubling one, however, was Naruto.

Unlike Hinata's open expression of grief, or Kiba's repressed anger, Naruto seemed to be lost in a deep melancholy.

Perhaps an outsider might've thought Naruto's behaviour was strange, or even fake, considering he'd known the bridge builder for less than a month, but Kakashi had met enough people throughout his life to know that Naruto's sadness was genuine.

Unlike his other two students, Naruto was an orphan for most of his life, and so the child treasured every connection he made. Losing a connection, to a boy like him, would've felt like a punch to the gut — just as harsh as if a clansman had died.

But just as Tazuna's flames had risen high into the sky last night, it was his job, as a teacher, to make sure the flames of his student's soul didn't die out.

He took a moment to reflect that Gai would've probably tried to man-hug him if he'd ever heard him say that out loud.

Right now, however, was not the time to talk to them...yet. He had to let them sort out the first few stages of their grief, and let them come to him. He had already expressed a willingness to hear them out, but he couldn't force it upon them. That would just backfire.

So instead, he took some time for his own self-reflection, and kept the unusually demure Hikari and Kimiko company as they spoke to the mutineering soldiers.

He had to admire Tazuna's quick thinking. The dying old man had seen an opportunity before him to rid the country of another source of corruption — the Daimyo — and had saddled the only people suited to the task with the responsibility of carrying it out — the Uzumaki.

A lot had come to light in the days after Tazuna's death.

As the people demanded answers, as to why it should be the Uzumaki Clan to call the shots, Kimiko had been pressured to reveal the truth — that Nami had once been Uzu.

The bombshell caused many an awkward conversation between the younger generations and the older ones. However, to Kakashi, that all proved Tazuna's moment of brilliance.

Nami was a weak country, with a history of weakness and occupation. There was nearly no bright light in their history to give the people any sort of rallying cry — a way for them to feel proud of themselves enough to demand change. Gato had done _wonders_ to build upon Mizu's campaign of historical devastation and make the people of Nami servile.

But with this new heritage in the light, Kakashi had begun to observe a subtle, but sure change in the people of this town.

The younger generations, perhaps driven by outrage, began speaking more boldly of change. The older voices, typically the ones to ask for caution, were beginning to be drowned out, or slowly joined their descendants.

But whether or not the uprising was carried out now rested on the Uzumaki.

Even in death, Tazuna had bestowed upon his old masters a great gift.

Kakashi may not have been a fan of the Uzumaki up till now, but even he could see the benefits they brought with them to Konoha. However, their influence was, at this point, mostly won out of bullheadedness and seeming bullying. With no great actions to their name, it would not be long before the rest of the people in Konoha would believe them to be self-important outsiders, and rise against them.

Like with the Uchiha.

He didn't know whether or not Tazuna ever spoke to Naruto, Hikari, or Kimiko about this, but it seemed apparent not that he had. Perhaps he thought of this as his way to return the favor, for having protected him and playing a key role in the Konoha team staying to fight.

If so, it was a magnificent move, and Kakashi would honor Tazuna's memory forever for this brilliant act.

"We have word from four more towns that their garrisons will join our rebellion," the man in charge of the mutineers, Takayama Jin, informed the two Uzumaki women while he gestured appropriately on the map between them. "I still think we can count on the capital garrison, but by now word of our rebellion will have reached Daimyo Kurosawa's ears."

Kimiko and Hikari exchanged looks, seemingly feeling quite out of place in this conversation. Kakashi couldn't blame them; both women were warriors, not strategists. Even if Tazuna had entrusted the fight to the Uzumaki, these two were the _wrong_ Uzumaki.

"We have also seized Gato's warehouses here, here, and here," Jin continued, seemingly unaware of the women's discomfort. "In total, we have enough weapons to arm our rebellion and then some. The greatest risk we face is his militia, and they seem to have lost all cohesion."

"Have you found Gato yet?" Kimiko asked, finally finding a topic within her expertise.

Jin shook his head. "We still have men scouring the region, without success. However, a ship was found at the dock bearing signs of combat. We believe someone may have preempted us and killed him."

Kakashi had a fair idea as to who, though he supposed he wished they had let the businessman live. Like Naruto had said, the people here needed closure, too, and robbing them of the chance to exact justice on Gato would likely drive many to extremist beliefs.

"Haku's gone," Kakashi spoke up then, reminding the rest that he was still there. "Left as soon as the fight was over."

"Then Zabuza remains our prime suspect for the disappearance of Gato," Jin stated. Only the slight clenching of his fists betrayed the inner frustration he undoubtedly felt.

"We had a deal," Kakashi said unapologetically. "He got his revenge, you got your freedom."

Jin said nothing, but it was clear that he didn't much like said deal. Kimiko was equally silent, prompting Hikari to take the lead as she smiled at the rebel commander. "Takayama-san, why don't we take a break?" she proposed. "I'm sure you've had a rough time getting everything in order."

Kakashi watched Jin flush a bit, then nod. Thanks to this novel experience, Kakashi had learned that Hikari wasn't the ditzy bimbo she liked to act as. Sure, she was skilled in combat — he knew that already — but she'd never given much indication of her skills off the battlefield. Only now had he had a chance to see her in action.

The first indication was the funerary rites. While Kimiko was the true shocker there — he had no idea she was considered a trained miko in the Uzumaki Clan — Hikari had also proven knowledgeable of such customs, helping her clansman carry out the ancient Uzu funerary rites with utter professionalism.

Brains and brawn. He could see why the Uzumaki were so feared. Their versatility put many experienced shinobi to shame.

And now, Hikari was working to put the rebel leader at ease by tending to him. He had seen her accompany him on walks throughout the town and listening to him. Whether or not the affection was mutual seemed unimportant to the young woman, who quickly switched personalities when she was with Naruto and the rest of the team.

Once she and Takayama left, Kakashi realized he was left alone with Kimiko. He'd never had much luck connecting with the young woman, however, so he made to leave.

"Thank you."

Kakashi froze in his tracks. Had he heard her right?

He turned to look at her, and saw her staring right at him from where she was kneeling on the floor. "Thank you, Kakashi-san."

Kakashi was flabbergasted. "Not that I don't like being thanked, but for what?" he asked.

Kimiko looked away, a sad smile — somewhere, Kakashi was sure, a pig learned to fly — gracing her regal features. "I have been a source of constant discord among the team since we left Konoha...and before," she admitted, and he was hard pressed to disagree. "But you have tolerated me well enough, despite your misgivings. Thank you."

Kakashi didn't know what to say. He couldn't, after all, admit that part of the reason he hadn't just sent her back packing was because an order from the Hokage was law. Still, he had to concede that after getting to know her, even just a little, he had learned to tolerate her bullish ways.

"You're welcome," he settled for saying.

Kimiko's sad smile grew larger by perhaps a millimeter, before she looked away. "Some advice, before we return to Konoha."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow; she had just apologized for acting self-important...and now she was doling out unsolicited advice? The women of the Uzumaki clan were inscrutable indeed.

"Remain close to Naruto-sama," she said, slowly getting to her feet. "He...is unlike anyone I've ever known."

"I know what you mean," Kakashi said wryly. It was half-true. The boy had more of his father and mother than he knew, but he seemed to know how to balance zeal with honor better than most adult shinobi he knew.

"With respect, no; you don't," she said sternly, but with none of the fierce zeal she usually showed when defending her clan. She looked up at the ceiling. "I've seen and done enough to know that honorable idiots are a dime a dozen, Kakashi-san. My clan is full of them, and I can tell, even at his young age, that he is different from that."

She turned to look at him, and he saw nothing but seriousness there. "He reached me when no one else could. He stood his ground, when others would have fled. He endangers himself for the sake of honor," she said, before looking away. "Give him a few years, Kakashi-san, and he will be a legend."

As Kimiko left the room, Kakashi couldn't help but be struck by her words. Unlike previous times she'd gone off the rails to defend the Uzumaki clan, this time she'd expressed herself seriously, calmly. She spoke of the future with a certainty few could ever truly have.

He'd known that, given his heritage, Naruto would never settle for being an ordinary shinobi, of course. However, perhaps now his student merited closer observation?

He sighed as he scratched his head. Man, debriefing back home was going to _suck_.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Week Later…<strong>_

Naruto was grateful to his teacher for delaying their return home.

Even though Gato was officially gone — no one could find him, and no one seemed to know whether he even still lived — Naruto had insisted that they stay for one last task: finishing Tazuna's bridge.

Though the rebellion against the Daimyo had officially begun, Naruto had felt that the most important thing was to finish the work for which Tazuna had given his life. The soldiers couldn't help out, for obvious reasons, but Naruto found widespread support amongst the town populace. Like himself, he supposed they felt this would be a good way to memorialize Tazuna's legacy.

Thankfully, the old man had finished most of the structure before passing away, meaning that there was remarkably little left for the Konoha shinobi and the village to do. With the help of Naruto's seemingly unending supply of expendable clones, progress on the bridge was quick and efficient.

As a result, it was soon time to go, and Kakashi had decided that the best time to do so was after the bridge's inauguration. As he stood amongst the crowd of townspeople with his teammates, he watched as they proclaimed the bridge the "Great Aono Bridge," as per his own insistence. He'd heard that there had been talk of naming it the "Great Naruto Bridge," or "Great Uzumaki Bridge," but had campaigned for the old man's recognition instead. As far as he was concerned, his own contribution had been more damaging than helpful, and even if his clan helped the people of Nami in their revolution, it made more sense that Tazuna be recognized for lighting the spark.

Thus it was that Naruto and his team bade goodbye to the people of Nami. Firm, solemn handshakes and bows were exchanged, words of encouragement and gratitude as well, and Naruto even spied the man called Jin give a more tender goodbye to Hikari, who later insisted the entire thing had been a fling to ease the man's stress.

He took her word for it. Things like romance fell _way_ outside his knowledge bubble.

Ironically, it seemed that their return to Konoha was a much more somber affair than leaving it. Perhaps due to the death of Tazuna, and the mixed victory they'd achieved. Yeah, that was probably it.

The nights camping out didn't really help, either. Lacking Tazuna's boisterous laughter and funny stories, Kiba and Naruto settled for basically teasing each other and provoking mock fights to fill up the night air with _some_ form of sound, other than crickets. After a few minutes of basically making fools of themselves, however, they would just return to their spots and stare at the campfire gloomily.

Kimiko and Hikari, for their part, were discussing something over by their side of the camp. Well, Naruto said _discuss_, but it was really Kimiko making short statements and Hikari arguing back. Still, it was a marked change from a week ago, when Hikari basically did as Kimiko said, without question, and with more than a little fear.

Hinata, was the real wildcard. Sometimes she seemed pensive, sometimes she seemed sad, but as far as the trio of Kakashi's students were concerned, she seemed to be the one holding it together the best. At the very least, she didn't seem to need to provoke a fight to keep her mind off things.

Her attitude made him curious — then again, what didn't? — prompting him to approach her on their second night on the road.

"Hey Hinata-chan," he greeted the shy Hyuuga heiress, having approached her after the adults had left to scout the perimeter. He'd managed to get Kiba out of the way by prompting the boy to groom Akamaru, who — to be fair — had begun to stink. He didn't really _need_ the Inuzuka heir out of the way, but this wasn't exactly a conversation he wanted others to interrupt.

The pale-eyed girl looked up from the dishes she was washing and eeped in surprise at his presence. Even though they had basically been teammates for almost a month, she was still prone to bouts of shyness and exaggerated surprise whenever he was around. Still, it had gone down a bit, which Naruto was adamant to consider a win.

"N-Naruto-kun," she greeted, blushing the moment she apparently realized her hands were wet and full of soap scum, while her jacket was rolled up to the sleeves, because she quickly grabbed a towel and dried off her hands, then rolled her sleeves back up.

Naruto didn't know what the fuss was about — he'd gotten _way_ dirtier cleaning his house.

He plopped down next to her, prompting another shy eep. "Hinata-chan, do you mind if I ask you a question?" he asked her.

The girl's eyes widened, giving Naruto an interesting view of her pale eyes, as the reflection of the campfire's flames flickered in them.

"S-Sure!" she agreed almost immediately.

"I know Kakashi, Hikari, and Kimiko are all used to this sort of stuff, but how are _you_ dealing with...y'know…" he suddenly felt his words fail him. It still somewhat hurt to talk about Tazuna. It reminded him too much that he'd failed.

Hinata blinked, then she smiled sadly and looked away. It was a look he'd never seen on her before. For a moment, he thought he might've unknowingly insulted her — hey, to be fair, he had like, zero experience with women, alright?! — and quickly rose his hands to apologize.

She didn't give him the chance. "I lost my uncle when I was very young," she told him.

Naruto blinked. "Un...cle?" he repeated dumbly.

Hinata still wouldn't meet his eyes. "U-Uncle Hizashi," she clarified. "He d-died when I was three years old. A bad man had come to kidnap me, and my father killed him."

Naruto blinked. That seemed more like a tale about her dad had single-handedly been a kickass saviour, rather than the story of her uncle's death.

"The man….was from K-Kumo," she turned to face him, and for once, Naruto didn't see nervousness or surprise or happiness in her eyes, but true sadness. The type he'd seen in the mirror every time he looked into one during his early years. "An important man. T-They demanded retribution, and...we agreed."

Naruto's eyes were the size of saucers. He shot to his feet, outrage plastered all over his face. "But...why?!" he demanded. "They're the jerks who tried to take you away!"

Hinata looked up at him in surprise, then back away, sadly. "Because otherwise there would have been war, Naruto-kun," she explained. "A life for a life, and no one else had to die. That was the deal."

Naruto was about to protest even more fiercely, when he realized something in that story didn't click. She'd said her father had been the one to kill the Kumo asshole, but at the same time, he also knew her father was very much alive and kicking, so if Kumo had gotten their blood for blood bullshit carried out, then her father _couldn't_ be alive!

"My f-father and Uncle Hizashi were i-identical twins," she provided the final piece of the puzzle for him, the look in her eyes telling him she knew where he'd been heading.

He got there alright. Just like that, it made sense. There was no _way_ a village like Konoha would hand over a Clan Head — no matter how much of a douche they were. Even as isolated as his childhood had been, he'd been able to pick up a few things about Clans, and the first thing he knew is that the Clan Head was basically like the supreme honcho of the family. For some of the more douchey families, that meant that everyone but the Clan Head was expendable.

And the Hyuuga, present company excluded — _thank ramen_ — were the biggest sticks in the mud in all Konoha. Bar none.

"They sacrificed him, didn't they?" he asked, teeth grit and hands curled into fists. He suddenly had the urge to high five said Hyuuga Clan Head.

In the face.

With a chair.

_Repeatedly_.

Hinata confirmed his theory with a sad nod, her gaze drawn back to the campfire. "I don't remember much about that day, but I do remember the sadness I felt," she told him. "Uncle Hizashi...I don't remember him much, but when I think of him, I feel...happy. So I know he cared for me."

She sighed and looked at him with a rueful smile. "I...I...killed my uncle, Naruto-kun."

Now _that_ was a screwed up way of looking at the whole thing. From where Naruto stood, Kumo and her dad were the ones who'd done fucked up. Kumo, for being the jackasses who tried to kidnap a toddler; and her father, for sacrificing his brother because Kumo had a temper tantrum over getting caught.

He all but slammed a hand onto her shoulder, and gripped her in what he imagined was a tight, but reassuring squeeze.

"No, you didn't!" he told her forcefully, staring down at her sternly. "Hinata, you were _two_! The guy who killed you Uncle was that jackass from Kumo! Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise!" he insisted.

Hinata blinked, and flinched a bit as his grip on her shoulder tightened for a bit, but then looked away and nodded. Letting her go, Naruto gave a self-satisfied huff and plopped back down next to her.

"Good!" he said. "Now...what's that got to do with Tazuna?"

Hinata looked back at him, blinked, and realized they'd gone _way_ off topic. "O-oh...well...seeing Inari-kun and Tsunami-san, and the others at the funeral reminded me of Uncle Hizashi," she told him. "S-So I remembered w-what F-Father told me back then."

"What was what?" Naruto asked, wondering what good advice some prick who sacrificed his own brother could possibly give.

She smiled at the sky, then. It was a striking image to Naruto, as the flickering flames from the campfire illuminated her face, giving her an almost angelic look. He didn't even notice when Kakashi, Kimiko, Hikari, and Kiba returned. All he heard were her words.

"Heaven favors none most than those who give their lives for family."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Four Days Later…<strong>_

Konoha's massive gates loomed in the distance, and yet Naruto still couldn't shake off the melancholy that had pestered him since the mission in Nami went cockeyed completely..

Yet, after his talk with Hinata, he had begun to feel a bit better about things, though he couldn't get rid of that pestering, criticizing inner voice that kept telling him he was, in the end, the one at fault for Tazuna's death. Even if Gato's men had shot him, it was his actions that had led to the old man's injuries worsening. At the same time, if he had just protected Tazuna better, then he wouldn't have been critically injured to begin with.

Upon their return to the village, Naruto basically went through the motions as his team reported in to the Hokage, who seemed pleased _and_ displeased by the outcome. On the one hand, as Kakashi had pointed out, they had failed to secure the survival of their client. However, at the same time, they had managed to evict Gato and initiate a Hi-friendly rebellion among the natives that would see a pro-Konoha and pro-Hi government sweep into power, if Konoha played its cards right.

The politics went way over Naruto's head, but the gist of it was, according to Hinata, that Konoha ended up winning if they just sent some discreet help.

His return to the Uzumaki compound was a riotous affair, of course. Flanked by Hikari and Kimiko, Naruto returned to a hero's welcome, as his clansmen all congratulated on what they presumed was a successful mission. Naruto wanted to correct them, but Hikari had urged him to keep quiet, until the Elders had a chance to talk to him.

So Naruto waited, and endured. He smiled and shook hands, told a few vague stories from the mission, and waited until the Elders were ready to receive him.

When they were, virtually all of the other clansmen had basically passed out from drinking and partying. It never really struck Naruto how inappropriate his Clan could act until right now. He supposed he now kinda understood how outsiders, and their neighbors — the Hyuuga Clan — might feel.

Sitting atop a dais, Heiyako and Keisuke observed the trio of Uzumaki clansmen they'd dispatched to Nami. At the forefront was Naruto, still uneasy with the concept of sitting still for prolonged periods of time. On either side of him, a few steps back, were Hikari and Kimiko, both of whom were more at ease with the situation. Then again, they had lived with this sort of thing all their lives.

"So, a mixed victory," Keisuke summarized, head bowed. Kimiko had finished her report, and the Elders knew to trust her word on these things.

"Yes, Keisuke-choro," Kimiko agreed.

Naruto shot her a look. He was still uncomfortable calling this a victory of any sort. It implied Tazuna's death was...irrelevant.

"A pity about Tazuna-san," Heiyako weighed in. "Though he has granted us a bigger boon than I think even he could have ever imagined."

Keisuke nodded. "Cat's out of the bag now," he said. "Soon, everyone from Mizu to Iwa will know of the rebellion in Nami, and its connection to Uzu."

"The rebels want an Uzumaki present to take charge," Hikari butted in then. "Their...leader believes that without our name to provide legitimacy, the people will be more reluctant to back the movement."

Naruto's frown deepened. This conversation was getting too complicated for his liking. Rebellions? Politics? Bah. Give him a straight up fight any day of the week. There were less complications involved when one's sole mission was to plant one's fist in another's face.

"Akemi would be a good choice. Or Maki, though I fear she's not really ready for a war," Heiyako pointed out.

Keisuke nodded. "Ideally, it would be…" he gave Heiyako a significant look, prompting a sigh.

"Unfortunately, she has yet to agree to bring her cell back into the fold," she pointed out.

Naruto perked up. A lost cell? That got his interest. After all, both of the geezers had made it abundantly clear that the greatest service he could do for the family was bring it back together.

"Why not?" he asked.

Both elders gave a start, as though just now remembering he was there. Naruto couldn't blame them — he'd basically let Hikari and Kimiko do all the talking, only filling in here and there.

"She…" Keisuke began slowly, obviously wondering how to put this delicately.

"Shuko is...odd," Heiyako was more direct, though she, too, seemed uncomfortable discussing the absentee Elder.

Keisuke snorted. "That's one way to put it," he said.

Naruto glanced back at Hikari and Kimiko, and was surprised to see Kimiko deliberately avoid his gaze, while Hikari seemed to be holding back a laugh.

"Even by Uzumaki standards, Shuko is an oddity," Heiyako tried to explain. "She's the youngest of us Elders, but second to none in her wits. Frankly, I imagine the Nara would love to have her."

There was a pregnant pause then, before Keisuke turned to Heiyako slowly.

"Can we…?"

"No."

As Keisuke grumbled, much to Naruto's amusement, Heiyako cleared her throat and continued.

"Shuko is physically weak, so she's made a name for herself based on her mind," Heiyako explained. "This has led to some...eccentricities."

"She's a grown woman with a childish mind in a child-like body," Keisuke said bluntly. "But whose mind also happens to be fit for the greatest strategist in the world."

"And a fondness for pranks," Hikari mumbled under her breath, though Naruto was able to hear her. He felt a grin grow on his face, as he realized that perhaps he may have found someone in the clan who shared his love of a good joke.

"In short, she's a disciplinary nightmare," Heiyako said, giving Hikari the evil eye. Obviously, the young woman had failed to keep her comments as inaudible as she'd hoped. "But she commands great loyalty among her cell, and throughout the Clan."

"It helps that she's the only one cell leader who hasn't had to move her group in decades, thanks to her strategies," Keisuke pointed out.

Naruto grinned at last. "She sounds awesome!" he exclaimed, getting to his feet. "How do we get here to come here?"

The very thought of that seemed to horrify the Elders, while Naruto was sure he'd heard a snort coming from Hikari.

"Here?" Heiyako squeaked.

Keisuke raised his hands placatingly. "Naru-chan, I understand your willingness to reunite the Clan, but...having Shuko _here_…"

Naruto swept out his arms. "Why not?! She sounds fun, and like you said, we need someone in Nami, right? She sounds perfect for the job! You said so yourselves!"

Keisuke and Heiyako exchanged looks. "Well...I suppose that's true," Heiyako conceded.

Keisuke palmed his face. "Heavens..._Shuko_..._here_…"

Naruto ignored the negativity, feeling his spirit reenergized now that he had a solid goal to work towards. "So? How do we get her cell to come back?" he asked.

Keisuke and Heiyako exchanged looks again, before the female Elder motioned for him to explain.

"If I may, chorotachi-sama?" Kimiko spoke up then, suddenly. All eyes turned towards her.

Both Elders looked immensely grateful for Kimiko's intervention, and nodded.

Naruto watched Kimiko rise to her feet and walk over to him, still managing to tower over him intimidatingly. Still, this time he felt no threat from her.

"Naruto-sama, I know Shuko-sama probably best, aside from the older members and the Elders," she informed him. "If it's about earning her loyalty, then it is a simple enough matter."

Her left hand blurred, and before he knew what happened, Naruto was being poked in the forehead by Kimiko, who bent down to look at him.

"Shuko-sama's strength is her mind. Therefore, she will only submit to one who can beat her mind," she said.

Naruto was already regretting his big mouth. When he'd said that he wanted to bring back Uzumaki Shuko into the fold, and her cell with her, he'd thought he'd have to do something a bit more physical. Maybe defeat a thousand enemies. Build something. Hell, he was fine with a marathon!

But strategic thinking? That was for other people. People _not_ named Naruto.

"Um…"

His head snapped back then, as he was suddenly flicked in the forehead by Kimiko with astonishing strength. If he hadn't known his cousin, he might've thought she'd punched him!

Regardless, he was now on his rear, looking up at Kimiko, who bore a look of complete seriousness.

"And that, Naruto-sama, is why you must lose."

Naruto blinked.

"Huh?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Week Later…<strong>_

Kakashi had noticed something strange about Naruto.

In short, he sucked.

Well, okay, not _sucked_, but certainly underperforming. Ever since their return from Nami, Naruto had begun acting a lot less capable than his sojourn abroad had suggested. His moves were sluggish, thoughtless, and undisciplined. His every waking moment seemed dedicated to annoying the hell out of his teammates, or acting like a hyperactive six year old.

In short, he sucked.

Which was weird, because Kakashi knew the loud mouthed blonde was _much_ more capable than this. He had seen him in action in Nami — had seen him stand up to Kimiko, Gato...hell, to odds even an adult might've balked at. Yet here he was, as though Nami was but a dream, and this were the real Naruto.

He'd spied Hinata and Kiba eyeing Naruto like he'd suddenly gone crazy, so he knew he wasn't alone in his concern. Or so crazy he'd dreamed up Naruto's action throughout Nami.

Heaven knew if he had, Inoichi would've had him committed.

The radical shift in attitude made Kakashi suspicious, of course. As a shinobi, he knew better than to just take this sort of heel turn for granted. There was always a reason behind such actions, and though he couldn't think of a plausible explanation, he could see that even Naruto's companions and his own fellow Jounin were beginning to question the blonde's ability.

To what end, he wondered?

He brought his concerns to the Hokage, of course, and while the old man had initially seemed worried, a follow up meeting the next day had seen the old man assure him everything was under control. That only served to make him _more_ suspicious. When the authorities knew something was wrong, but did nothing, then it meant one of two things, usually.

One: the authorities were inept, which he knew not to be the case.

Or two: there was a scam going on, and the authorities were in on it.

The latter seemed the more reasonable deduction, so Kakashi had tried to follow Naruto home once, hoping to see whether any training time he lost with his companions were being made up behind the Clan's walls.

Unfortunately, the Uzumaki were every bit the seal masters they were known as, and so it proved impossible to infiltrate the compound. Not without having to bust out some serious Fuin skills he didn't have.

Still, it didn't sit well with him that no one had told him about any plan involving his potential star student becoming an idiot overnight. He had plans for Naruto. The trip to Nami had proved to him that, out of all his students, Naruto may well be one of the finest he could have. While his potential for theoretical knowledge remained atrocious, his practical learning curve was off the charts.

Still, the Hokage's refusal to share details told him he was to remain out of the loop, which usually meant that someone was watching, and they (whoever _they_ were) were hoping that he would play the part of the frustrated teacher. Well, then, he would oblige.

During training sessions, he would chide Naruto openly for his childish behaviour, making sure to act as naturally as he would in these situations. He didn't need much creative thought; before the Genin Pool, he'd already tried teaching other teams, all of whom had failed the Bell Test. All he did now was channel that frustration into basically making Naruto look like the dead last of the Genin.

He could've sworn he's caught a thankful look from Naruto once, right after being on the receiving end of another lecture.

But well, while the idea of making Naruto seem as inept as possible seemed to be working, it presented Kakashi with another problem: the Chunin Exams.

The idea was that, since the Genin under his, Asuma, and Kurenai's command had successfully pulled off at least a C-class mission (his own team mission to Nami being ranked A, all things considered), the Jounin had agreed to at least let the Genin try out for the Chunin Exams. None of them actually thought the kids had a shot in hell — it was almost inconceivable that they would actually reach the rank, with just one C-rank/A-rank under their belts, and a whole lot of D-ranks — but they figured it would be a good learning experience.

The problem was, he and Naruto had done such a good job of making him look like an idiot that now _no one_ in their _right mind_ would agree to partner up with him. And neither of his colleagues looked too enthused about putting such a liability in any team.

Of course, when he'd told the Hokage, the old man had chosen to play dumb and inform him he had no idea why he'd thought Kakashi should sabotage Naruto's performance. Of course, he subsequently failed to take disciplinary action, which meant he _had_ wanted him to do this. Except he also refused to get involved and force a team to happen.

Sometimes, he really wished he could strangle the infuriating old man.

"Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke."

"No," Kurenai answered immediately. The woman's protectiveness over the Hyuuga heiress was commendable, if cramping his style right now.

"Fine. Ino, Naruto, Sasuke."

"Inoichi would have my hide." Now it was Asuma. Great.

"Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke?"

"_Danzo_ would flay us alive for putting Naruto and Sasuke together," Kurenai pointed out, before thoughtfully adding, "And they'd probably kill each other in the first ten minutes."

Kakashi felt like killing something. Anything. A _fly_ would do at this point.

"Shikamaru, Naruto…" he said, sort-of expecting Asuma to protest at this point. Thankfully, he seemed alright with it thus far, so he soldiered on. "Sakura."

There was a pregnant pause, which Kakashi hoped would _not_ result in another protest.

"That...might work," Kurenai conceded.

"Shikamaru's smart enough to get them through the brainy bits, and Sakura's no slouch either on that end," Asuma agreed. "Naruto...is good for cannon fodder, I suppose."

A little unfair of the man, but then Kakashi had to admit he'd basically dedicated the past week to ruining Naruto's reputation. With Naruto's tacit consent, of course, and that of the Uzumaki Clan. Otherwise, he was fairly sure they'd have made their discontent _painfully_ obvious.

"At the very least, he'll be able to protect his comrades while they formulate the winning strategy," Kurenai said more fairly, though Kakashi could she she only partially believed that. Clearly, the betting pool regarding Naruto's chances were going to be very, _very_ slanted.

He made a mental note to bet big on his student.

"So we're settled, right?" he said, motioning for the waiter at the bar to refill their glasses. Picking the other teams would prove much easier now that the most difficult one was taken care of, but after the marathon debate and team-choosing session, he needed to get wasted. _Fast_. "No more objections?"

He wished his Jounin colleagues weren't as jaded as they were, so that he could unleash enough killing intent to make them cower in acquiescence. Fortunately, such reckless behaviour was averted by the two Jounin nodding.

"Hopefully they'll do alright," Kurenai said, nodding in thanks to the waiter who came by with new drinks. "I'd hate for them to take their loss too hard."

"They'll bounce back," Asuma assured her. "They're tough kids."

Kakashi nodded and brought up his glass. "To middling success, then!" he toasted. "May they lose well."

A screwed up toast? Absolutely.

But then, this had been a screwed up week already.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Unknown, Five Days Later…<strong>_

"Shuko-sama, a messenger has arrived for you."

Uzumaki Makoto remained kneeling as he watched a small arm rise from a bundle of...something, behind the screen door. To his discomfort, the Uzumaki who'd greeted him here — wherever _here_ was — had brought him directly to Uzumaki Shuko's private residence, not the meeting hall.

And from what he could tell from the discarded clothing and general mess of things, Shuko was about to wake up.

At _3:00 PM._

"Mou...what is it this time?" a girlish voice asked from behind the screen door. It became readily apparent to Makoto that the Clan Elder wasn't about to pay the usual protocols any respect, so he brushed aside any slight he might've felt from the lack of decorum.

"Shuko-choro, I am Uzumaki Makoto," he introduced himself, bowing until his head touched the floor. "Respectfully, I bring a message from Keisuke-choro and Heiyako-choro."

An unfeminine snort arose as the bundle of something shifted behind the screen door. "What do those two killjoys want now?"

"They wish to ask you for your return, Shuko-choro," Makoto said diligently. "And that of your cell. They wish for a reunion."

The bundle wobbled as Shuko's laughter filled the air. Makoto had expected this — or rather, Keisuke and Heiyako had warned him as much — so he endured the laughter.

"And why would I do something boring like that?" the bundle asked amusedly. "Is it because of the Clan Head?" she preempted his argument. "The so-called saviour of our Clan? I hear he's just 13 years old. Why should I put my family's wellbeing in his hands?"

"Naruto-sama has the family's best interests at heart."

"Naruto-sama is also, I hear, quite stupid," the bundle stopped moving. All of a sudden, Makoto felt the whole room suffer a severe drop in temperature. "They say his team's accomplishments in Nami were in _spite_ of him, not because of him. They say he is a _liability_ to his contemporaries."

"Unfair characterizations, Shuko-choro," Makoto said simply, sticking to the script he'd been given.

"My spies confirm this," Shuko's voice informed him. The bundle shifted again, and the chilling feeling was gone. "Go back to the old farts. Tell them to stop grasping for a lost dream. Or at least to leave the rest of us alone. It's getting annoying, y'know?"

Makoto was silent, remaining kneeled on the ground. He had been told by Keisuke and Heiyako that Shuko might be difficult, and so he would need to keep his composure and stand his ground.

"I'm sorry, I must've not spoken clearly enough," the bundle spoke again. The chilling feeling was back. "You can leave now."

"What if…." Makoto spoke up just then, practically cutting her off. "What if we can prove Naruto-sama is worthy of following?"

There was a moment of silence before the bundle snorted again. "What if people could live forever?" she mocked. "We can wish all we want, Makoto-kun. That doesn't mean fairytales come true."

"Keisuke-choro and Heiyako-choro respectfully disagree, Shuko-choro," he said. "And they wish to propose a bet."

The bundle shifted. "A bet?" Shuko asked, sounding interested.

Makoto's gaze sharpened. It seemed they had been right. Despite her extreme intelligence, Uzumaki Shuko tended towards recklessness whenever she thought she had the upper hand. That, and she loved to bet.

"Indeed," he nodded. "A bet. As you know, the Chunin Exams are coming up, and Konoha is slated to host them this year," he told her.

The bundle shifted angrily, if that was possible. "Of course, of course! Get to the bet!"

Makoto remained calm. This was the crucial part, he'd been told. "If Naruto-sama is capable of passing the Exams, will you agree to a reunion?"

There was dead silence again, and the bundle shifted no more. For a moment, Makoto feared he may have failed — that he may have pushed the envelope too hard — but then there was a snapping sound, and the screen door slid down into the ground, and from behind the bundle — revealed to be a really untidy bed — walked out what Makoto could only believe was a 12-year old child pretending to be an Uzumaki Elder.

Or he would have, if he hadn't spied the purple gem on her forehead.

Uzumaki Shuko.

Despite her child-like appearance, there was nothing about this woman that screamed innocent or harmless. Her every move seemed calculated, and her gaze betrayed ageless wisdom that belied her childish appearance. As a shinobi, Makoto knew this was not a woman to cross or underestimate.

No one went up against the Uzumaki Clan's fabled Grand Strategist and lived.

"Keisuke's become a desperate geezer," she said, her voice sounding as girlish as her actual appearance. One hand played with the wing ornaments she had on her head, while the other was rubbing its fingers together. "Interesting."

She snapped her fingers. Then again. Then again.

Finally, she smiled.

"You're on."


	22. Chuunin Exam Arc: Preparations

**_AN: _**_SURPRISE! Another chapter already?!_

_BUT MARQUIS, WHAT ABOUT EMPEROR? Worry not, it's not dead. Or remotely abandoned. This chapter, however, was really nagging me, and I decided the Wave Arc needed to officially die and the Chuunin Exam Arc needed to officially start. So...there!_

_Also, after this chapter, people may begin to wonder: HAS THE ROMANCE STARTED? No. No. No._

_No._

_Romance is still a no-no in this story. It ain't NaruHina, NaruSaku, NaruKimiko, NaruWhatever. Nothing has been decided yet, so don't infer that it has. As I mentioned in earlier chapters, romance will only really take off in the Shippuden era, when I won't feel as bad writing it (I **really** don't want to write about 12/13 year olds snogging, guys)._

_Anyway, have fun!_

_PS: For those wondering: Shuko is Mavis, Toshiko is Zeira, and Makoto (from last chapter) was Warren._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Five Days Later (CE-25 Days)...<strong>_

"I'm going to _kill_ him!"

Shikamaru sighed as Sakura ranted once more about their newest teammate. Ever since the Jounin had basically coerced them into agreeing to participate in the Chunin Exams five days ago — he was sure they felt they had just been persuasive, but as far as Shikamaru was concerned, making them work harder was simply coercion — Shikamaru and Sakura had been saddled with what they both perhaps thought was the oddest, most annoying, and overall inefficient team combination they'd ever imagined.

Namely, they had been partnered with Naruto.

Now, minor meltdown and flashbacks to the Genin Test aside, Shikamaru wasn't that against pairing up with the blonde. He knew Naruto was a well of untapped potential, and he — like the rest of the Genin — had seen him break out some kickass moves in the days leading up to their first C-rank mission.

However, it was for this very reason that Shikamaru was now utterly flummoxed, because the Naruto he'd been paired up with _sucked_.

It was like someone had flipped Naruto's learning switch to off, and everyone around him had left him _far_ behind. Even the Uzumaki's techniques seemed to fall short, as Kiba — whom Naruto managed to beat and fight to a draw in the past — now easily destroyed the blonde in just a few moves. Sasuke just needed the one.

It made no sense. There was no logical reason for this.

Or, he had to grudgingly admit, none that he could think of right now.

His initial thought had been that Naruto might be deliberately making himself dumber, but deceit only worked when there was a target — and Shikamaru could see none on the horizon. Was he trying to deceive the Hokage? Kakashi? Kurenai? Asuma? The other Genin? His own family?

Why? For what reason?

Unlike his ranting, pink-haired teammate, Shikamaru wasn't as willing to write Naruto off completely. He knew — or more accurately, he was _convinced_ — that his hyperactive teammate was hiding out his abilities, burying them under a veil of incompetence. Even if the reason for it escaped him, there was no reason why this sudden lack of ability would exist. It just made no logical sense.

He picked up his glass of water and took a drink, eyeing his new female teammate. He was still undecided as to whether or not Ino had been a better teammate, all things considered. "Give it a rest, Sakura," he said when he put down the glass.

To be fair to Sakura, the girl probably had the most cause to be infuriated with the blonde. Unlike Shikamaru, she had no Clan to fall back onto if she failed as a shinobi, nor did she envision any career outside being a shinobi. While Shikamaru was content being a middling Chuunin, at best, he knew Sakura had much more lofty ambitions — among them, being worthy of Sasuke's love.

And catastrophically failing the Chuunin Exams, which Naruto's presence threatened to do, was likely the worst case scenario for her.

The glare she shot him as they shared their meal said it all. "Why aren't _you_ mad?" she demanded. "He'll ruin everything!"

Shikamaru was really regretting this outing. After having been forced together into three teams, Shikamaru had suggested that each new team take the time to get to know each other. Thus, Ino, Sasuke, and Kiba were holding their own team outing; Hinata, Choji, and Shino were out on theirs; and Shikamaru, Sakura, and Naruto had their own thing.

Or they would, if it weren't for the fact that Naruto disappeared after every training session, ostensibly to go back to the Uzumaki compound. That left Shikamaru to bond with Sakura, except she took these outings as a chance to vent.

Shikamaru sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Naruto isn't that simple," Shikamaru defended his wayward teammate. He often wondered why he bothered. "I _know_ you know that. We all saw what he was capable of before the mission to Nami."

Sakura glowered, but said nothing, huffing and sitting back against her chair. "Clearly a fluke."

Shikamaru doubted that. "Maybe if it was once or twice, but he used to give Kiba _and_ Sasuke a run for their money, remember?" he pointed out. "That kind of skill doesn't just vanish overnight."

Sakura was still glowering, but he could see the gears working in her head. "Maybe he was knocked too hard on the head during his team's C-Rank?"

"Even then, I doubt Kakashi-sensei would've overlooked such brain damage."

Sakura groaned and rubbed her temples. "This is giving me a headache. _Again_."

Shikamaru could empathize, if not sympathize. He knew full well how irritatingly annoying Naruto could be, and the headaches he caused with his unpredictability. Yet, Shikamaru was convinced there was no other logical explanation for his sudden decrease in ability other than deliberate deceit.

"I think he's purposely holding back," he told her. Ordinarily, he would've just stayed silent and watched things develop. However, given that Naruto's actions could impact his own wellbeing, he needed to be looped into the plan, or else his own plans could derail everything. Furthermore, he knew Sakura had a decent head on her shoulders — a far better analytical mind than, say, Ino or Sasuke.

Sakura's gaze sharpened, though he could see the disbelief in it. "What? Why?" she asked.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Haven't figured that part out yet," he admitted.

Sakura huffed. "I think you're being optimistic. Naruto's skills aren't the only things that suck. His _reflexes_ are horrible. You can't fake reflexes."

Shikamaru knew that was true. Even if you could slow your timed responses, the body's instincts weren't something you could fake. If you saw a punch coming, your body's instinctive response would be to dodge, or soften the blow. Naruto didn't do either — not even excruciatingly slowly. It was like every sense of self-preservation and perception had been stripped from him.

"Maybe," he conceded. "However, he's going to be our teammate, whether we like it or not, Sakura," he pointed out. "That means we either believe in him, or we carry him. But whichever we choose, we need to work together."

Sakura grimaced. "I know."

Shikamaru nodded, then realized that people around them were whispering and pointing at them. Looking around, he saw Sakura and he had caught many a person's attention, which seemed odd. What was so interesting about them?

The answer soon came in the form of a portly waitress holding up a pitcher.

"Would you lovebirds like a refill, dears?" she asked kindly.

Sakura went bright red, while Shikamaru gaped.

"_What?_" Sakura asked, flushed with embarrassment.

The waitress seemed quite confused by their reaction. "I apologize; did I say something wrong?"

Unwilling to stand by while Sakura brutally murdered the poor woman, Shikamaru quickly regained his senses. "I'm sorry, but there's been a mistake. We," he gestured at himself and Sakura, "are not here on a date."

"_Definitely_ not on a date! _Never_, in fact!" Sakura added. Shikamaru thought that was a bit unnecessary, and maybe a little hurtful, but let it slide.

The waitress looked surprised by the revelation,and raised a hand to her mouth in shock. "Oh! I...I apologize! It's just, your reservations…"

Shikamaru had a _bad_ feeling about this. "What about them?"

Why did he have a feeling he was about to join Sakura in trying to murder Naruto?

"Well, they were specifically made for Mr. Nara and Ms. Haruno, to celebrate their one week anniversary."

Dead silence enveloped the restaurant.

Then, all at once, an enraged female yell with the force of a thousand suns ripped through Konoha.

"_NA-RU-TO!_"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Inuzuka Compound, Three Days Later (CE-22 Days)...<strong>_

Kiba struck the training poles with increasing ferocity as Akamaru watched on from the sidelines, the puppy whining in concern as the violence of his strikes increased with every hit.

In all fairness, the puppy was probably right — Kiba's hands hurt like hell by now, but he was determined to keep striking, keep hurting, until the rage finally left his heart.

The cause of that anger? Naruto.

Kiba felt betrayed by the blond Uzumaki. During their mission to Nami, he'd felt he'd come to share a fraternal bond with Naruto, who was very much like himself in many ways. They both shared a rough sense of justice, and though Naruto was far more reckless than Kiba, the Inuzuka heir had felt a kinship with the guy.

He'd even felt for him for his role in Tazuna's death, and had lent quiet companionship during their mourning period.

Yet all of that maturity, all of that skill, all of the commitments the blond had made in Nami...were all gone.

The Naruto he had trained with in Nami was able to hold both Hinata and himself at bay by himself. Sometimes they won, sometimes Naruto won. However, they were on par — equals. They were united in their desire to fight for the common good.

Like a pack.

Yet not a day after they had returned from Nami, Naruto had changed completely. Gone was that rough maturity. Gone was the desire to work together as a pack. He seemed more intent on enjoying himself and making a fool of everyone than training, and that pissed Kiba off more than _anything_.

With a feral roar, he hit the training pole hard enough to make it crack. Or maybe those were his bones. He couldn't tell anymore — the anger in him was almost at fever pitch.

Just _thinking_ about Naruto made his blood boil. In a pack, a selfish member was to be expelled, for the good of all. Naruto was being selfish, but Kiba had seen him be selfless beyond comparison. That contradiction ate at him, and made him question his course of action.

"I _thought_ I heard something break."

Kiba spat on the ground, not even bothering to turn to face his older sister, Hana. By common, Konoha tradition, Hana was the Clan heiress, not him. However, just because he had the support of most of the Clan, he was considered the unofficial heir.

Whatever. Stupid old men playing at stupid things like politics. The only way to really decide a leader was by a contest of strength.

"What do you want, Hana?" he asked roughly. There were no formalities within the Inuzuka. All under the Clan Head were equals. Like in a pack.

"Just came to see if you'd done something stupid to yourself," she said idly. He heard her steps come closer. "Which, by the looks of that hand, appears to be the case."

Kiba heard Akamaru whine and bark, and glowered at his partner. "Leave it be, Akamaru," he said. "She's got nothing to do with this."

He raised a fist to keep striking the damaged pole, but was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Akamaru's right," Hana said. "Your hand is broken, little brother. You need to get it looked at."

Kiba glared up at his sister, who remained impassive. He knew there was no way he could take her on, so he relented and dropped his fist. "Fine," he snapped, grabbing his fur-lined coat and throwing it over his shoulder. Only now was he realizing his hand really _did_ hurt. He supposed he should be grateful to Akamaru, or else he might've pulverized whatever was left.

"Whatever this snit you're in is," Hana spoke up as he started leaving. "Get over it, or use it. Don't wallow in it."

He stopped in his tracks. He tried curling his free hand into a fist, but the pain was such that the most he could do was just make it shake angrily.

"What do you know about it?" he snapped. Akamaru whined in concern next to him, nipping at his pants and trying to pull him away. He ignored the puppy.

He couldn't see Hana, his back facing her and all, but he knew she'd crossed her arms. She always did so when she was pontificating.

"Alphas don't hold grudges," she said. "They act. If something is making you lose control, either ignore it, or defeat it. You keep acting like this, and you'll never be anything more than a pup."

Kiba's anger flared; within the Inuzuka, the idea of remaining a pup was unacceptable. While it was tolerated for children to be immature and reckless, as all animals were in their infancy, all Inuzuka were raised to value and work towards adulthood, as puppies, while cute, were nonetheless liabilities to the pack. Thus, to be called the Inuzuka version of "immature brat" was a stinging recrimination.

The problem was, Hana was also right. Even through the stinging pain of his broken hand, he could recognize he was acting out, like an immature pup. He had a problem — Naruto — who was insulting his honor, and that of Tazuna and the others who died in Nami. Thus, he either sacked up and took care of the problem, or he ignored it.

Of course, he didn't want to kill Naruto. Hurt him, yes, but not kill him.

And since fighting was not allowed outside of the training grounds, and the teachers would be there to stop him from really teaching Naruto a lesson, he would have to save up his strength, his anger, for a more suitable stage.

The Chuunin Exams.

All of a sudden, his hand started to hurt a little less.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hyuuga Compound, Four Days Later (CE-18 Days)...<strong>_

Hinata sometimes really hated living in a family whose eyes could literally see through everything.

The obvious drawback being that there was no privacy. Thus, when she once again softly cried herself to sleep the previous night, several of her clansmen had noticed, despite her best attempts to not bother anyone.

And, for having a heart, she was now apparently "weak."

Why had she cried herself to sleep? Well, contrary to her earlier life, it wasn't because of the way her father was pitching Hanabi against her. Nor was it the snide comments several of the Main Branch Elders kept throwing her way, knowing she would be unable to _not_ hear them.

No, the source of her constant sadness was one Naruto Uzumaki.

For the life of her, she could simply not understand what had happened to the boy she admired. Despite sharing a nice moment on their way back to Konoha — and she was _sure_ she'd reached him with her story in some way — he had somehow reverted to being an obnoxious, untalented fool.

Not that she'd ever say as much out loud, and even just thinking that way made her sick to her stomach.

Yet, there was no denying what was in front of her. Naruto's skills had decayed atrociously, almost overnight. Naturally, she refused to believe any of it, even though she could see him lose to Kiba and Sasuke, and even the less physical members of the Genin Pool, with depressing ease.

She insisted he was probably pulling off a prank — a joke! Her mind was constantly awhirl with an infinite amount of possibilities that would justify why a talented boy like Naruto would suddenly become the class clown again.

None of them made sense.

She leaned against her bedroom's wall and looked out the window, towards the high wall that separated her clan's compound from the Uzumaki. Even with improved wards and all sorts of silencing jutsus, she could still hear and _feel_ the buzz of constant activity on the other side.

She envied that.

The Hyuugas were, by comparison, a depressing lot. Everyone had their place, and were expected to stay there. The maids got up, did their chores, went to sleep. The warriors trained, did missions, went to sleep. Potential Clan heirs, like herself and Hanabi, were expected to either be training, doing missions, or learning the ins and outs of the Clan's affairs. Then go to sleep.

In short, a scheduled, rigid lifestyle. A lifestyle she was sick of, and truly wanted to change. She had tasted her first chance at a different life in Nami, with Kiba and Naruto. Unlike Neji or Hanabi, the two were bundles of concentrated energy, almost always willing to help out and have fun. Yet they also took the time to train — not because it was their duty, but because they _wanted_ to get stronger. They had goals, ambitions. They challenged their natural place and worked to overcome any difficulties that might stand in their way.

She admired that. To someone like her, whose life was almost entirely planned out from beginning to end, the idea of breaking from the mold and striking out as her own person was like a shining star...and she'd had the privilege to meet two such stars.

So why did one of them lose its shine?

She knew Kiba was suffering in his own way at the seeming heel turn performed by their friend. But whereas Kiba channeled that suffering into anger, Hinata was simply heartbroken.

Naruto's energy and confidence had been a guiding light for her all these years. Even before they had become Genin together, she had taken strength from his bullish persistence to succeed, no matter the odds. He was her role model — and in Nami, he and Kiba had helped her gain a bit of self-confidence. Enough that even her clansmen had noticed.

Yet right now, she could feel that confidence slipping away. Had she truly misjudged him? She refused to believe so, but with so much proof mounting with every passing day, she felt even her unshakeable belief in him waver.

Only waver, mind you.

Because no matter how much her confidence shook, her belief in Naruto was as solid as the mountains of Kumo.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hokage's Office, Three Days Later (CE-15 Days)…<strong>_

As it turned out, not everyone was happy with the ousting of Gato and the rebellion in Nami.

Of course, Hiruzen had never actually _condoned_ the rebellion, but that was beside the point, as far as international politics were concerned. All the other nations cared about was that Konoha shinobi had directly participated in the disappearance of a major financial player — Gato — and destabilized a foreign nation — Nami.

That the latter had been a completely accidental by-product of the former was irrelevant.

Of course, this brought quite the headache for Hiruzen, and not just because of foreign criticism. The Daimyo of Hi's court, in particular, had yet to cease sending him missives that were demanding explanations that he wasn't comfortable giving. Ordinarily, regime changes in foreign nations were the product of years of planning and groundwork. There would be multi-generational infiltration that would slowly and deliberately shift popular opinion towards the influencing nation, and the inevitable regime change would take place without too much fuss.

At least, that was the Hi way. It had served the largest of the Elemental Nations well for the past few centuries, and there had never been a reason to change it. Except Kakashi and his team had managed to land a completely unplanned for rebellion on his desk, and now half the world was up in arms over it.

The implications were obvious. Kiri was protesting because, despite having abandoned the island decades ago, it felt like the loss of nominal control over the island was a blow to their prestige — which was severely lacking, what with the ongoing civil war and all.

Iwa, for its part, was simply lodging a protest to test the waters. If Konoha folded, it would assume that there was a lack of political will to back up their commitments, and would likely seek out regime change in neighboring countries not yet allied to it.

Kumo was by far the most dangerous of Konoha's critics. Unlike the other Great Villages, it had stubbornly refused to abide by the disarmament clauses of the last Great War's peace treaty. As far as his spies and Jiraiya's spies knew, Kumo was armed to the teeth, and eager to use its power to expand its sphere of influence.

Perhaps the least worrisome voice was Suna. Though it had protested Konoha's intervention in a foreign country's governance, Suna was still Konoha's ally, and had made no move to change that. Most likely, the Kazekage needed to remind the other Great Villages that Sunagakure was still a major power in its own right, independent from Konoha's agenda.

Still, Hiruzen knew he would have to smooth over some ruffles there. He'd heard Suna was having economic problems, so perhaps trade concessions could be negotiated to make sure Konoha wasn't ganged up on in the near future.

Which also left the problem of what to do with this situation. With the rebellion in Nami in full swing, he couldn't very well withdraw Konoha's support, after having let his men basically overturn the ruling powers. Even if he did, the Daimyo of Hi wouldn't wear such a decision, and would likely send his own troops — complicating the matter to a whole new level.

On the other hand, he couldn't just ignore the other villages' anger. If he did so, he risked provoking them into action, and while another Great War was unlikely, Hiruzen knew it would mean more "border skirmishes."

He did _not_ want to have to deal with pointless body bags.

That left a summit.

The only way to deal with Kumo, Iwa, Kiri, and Suna, all at once and without possible misunderstandings that could arise from long-distance messages, was a summit. The problem was the Chuunin Exams. It would interfere with the only acceptable time for the summit to take place. It also forbade him from leaving the village, meaning it would have to take place here.

Which opened a whole other can of worms.

If he was supposed to host the other Kages in Konoha, he would have to make concessions. _Major_ concessions. They would each have to bring their own guards, and there would likely be small armies camped just off Hi's borders — just in case treachery took place. Not enough to conquer a country, but enough to cause some damage while the real forces gathered.

Which naturally meant all missions would have to be canceled during the summit, in order to concentrate all of Konoha's available forces along the border and in the village itself. Though the Kages each respected the others, there was nothing close to resembling trust between them.

Hiruzen sighed and rubbed his forehead. Kakashi had meant well, but his actions, and that of his team, may have forced Konoha into a corner Hiruzen didn't believe it could leave unscathed. Even if he called Kumo, Iwa, and Kiri's bluff, he would have to make some agreements the Daimyo might not like.

And while Hiruzen was basically king in his village, the Daimyo was _his_ king.

There was another problem, of course: the Uzumaki.

There was no arguing that Uzushiogakure's former regnant family was a huge boon to Konoha. Their seal masters had managed to plug some serious gaps in Konoha's defenses, and he was informed by Ibiki that the village's wards were at their strongest. Their sheer numbers had boosted Konoha's martial ability. Not enough to rival Kumo, but enough to remind the other villages not to cross them.

The problem, however, was that he had let them in on the basis that their pros outweighed their cons. And for a while, that was completely true.

Now, however, he was starting to face an opposite situation. While the Uzumaki's return would have been an impossible secret to keep for long (if at all), Hiruzen had expected the clan to lay low and let the world get used to their return to prominence. Instead, they were direct participants in, if not outright supporters of, the Nami Crisis. Which unfortunately meant that all of their old enemies had come out of the woodwork to start raising hell over their return, and Konoha's decision to integrate them.

On the flip side, he was fairly sure none of his contemporaries were in any position to support the Uzumaki's enemies. In fact, he was fairly certain that, at the very least, Onoki would hate being pressured into making any decision. That meant he had some leeway for when they met.

The question was: would it be enough?

"Neko."

"Here."

Hiruzen didn't have to turn to know the ANBU operative in question was indeed standing behind him. They had a bad habit of doing that, but it was something of a tradition. Mystery and reputation building and all that. "Inform the Commander that I want his four finest agents in my office by tomorrow morning for a high priority diplomatic op," he ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

In a split second, Hiruzen could no longer feel the young woman's presence, leaving him alone with the nine other ANBU operatives who remained as part of his personal guard. An unnecessary arrangement, but one that had been instituted as a result of Minato's unfortunate death.

Sighing, he took out his agenda and wrote in a couple of appointments. Sure, he could've just told his secretary outside, but Hiruzen felt that these small touches helped one keep one's mind together, especially in old age.

The first appointment was with the Nara clan patriarch, Shikaku. He would undoutbedly be of great help in analyzing how best to deal with the fragile diplomatic situation they were facing.

The second was with the Uzumaki.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Unknown, Ten Days Later (CE-5 Days)...<strong>_

"Aaaaand, game over! You lose!"

Groans filled the room as Shuko once again trounced her opponents. The war board set up in the Uzumaki compound's central hall was a haphazard of figurines and building blocks, set up to resemble — this time around — a seemingly random village. Shuko's pieces had the village's central building surrounded, and her opponent's units littered the side of the table, discarded after having been defeated.

Her own forces were relatively intact.

"Yay! Another win for me!" she exclaimed happily, if somewhat childishly. Clapping greeted her statement as her clansmen congratulated her for the win — a daily occurrence in Shuko's cell.

"Shuko-sama's brilliance puts us to shame," one of them told her as he bowed to her. Shuko grinned and walked over to her opponents, who immediately lost their looks of defeat and bowed to her.

"Shuko-sama!" they intoned. "Thank you for your guidance!"

Shuko waved them off. "Ma, ma...up you go, you three!"

The three clansmen straightened up, but never lost the rigidness of their posture. Shuko sighed. Sometimes, her clansmen were far too uptight. She didn't know why — she herself _loved_ fun and games!

"You did well," she told them with a smile, all noise dying out to listen to her. She had that effect on her clansmen. No matter how young she appeared to be, or how childishly she sometimes acted, no one in her cell could deny her abilities. "Do you know why you lost?"

One of the three bowed. "Please! Enlighten us, Shuko-sama!"

Shuko frowned. She would have rather preferred it if they had at least tried to think about it.

She was about to answer them when another voice interrupted.

"Miki-san, you were too hasty. In so doing, you left Hiro-san and Yun-san behind, creating an opening in your formation."

Shuko smiled and turned, recognizing the speaker at once.

"Toshi-chan!" she greeted her favorite clansman, bouncing over and all but spear-tackling the younger woman with a hug. Fortunately, said younger woman's taller physique allowed her to remain on her feet, as she tolerantly allowed the Cell Leader to hang off her midriff.

Instead, Uzumaki Toshiko fixed Shuko's opponents with a stern glare.

"It's all well and good to seize victory when possible, Miki-san," she continued, ignoring the fact that Shuko was now rubbing her face with her cheek. Her other clansmen were sweatdropping, of course, but Toshiko paid it no heed. "However, if your attempt goes against the plan you and your allies agreed on, you will only sow confusion and chaos in your ranks. Any tactic must be-HMPH!" she was summarily cut off by Shuko kissing her on the lips, to everyone's surprise.

Said kiss was over quickly, however, leaving Toshiko a red-faced, blubbering mess, while Shuko smacked her lips and grinned at the audience. "Cherries!"

"Shuko-sama!" Toshiko protested as she regained her senses. "Please stop doing that!"

Shuko pouted and poked her index fingers together. "But you were ignoring me, Toshi-chan…"

"Your students needed to learn their mistakes!"

"But I want to play!"

The other clansmen watched the ping-pong-esque debate with timeworn, tolerant weariness. Despite her brilliance and age, Uzumaki Shuko had the maturity of a hyperactive 12 year old girl whenever they weren't in a serious situation — like combat, or _war_. This personality quirk would surface especially hard whenever her younger clansman, Uzumaki Toshiko, would come around.

Having learned by now that the rest of the day was wasted, the Uzumaki clansmen slowly left the building, each returning to their own task, until only Toshiko and Shuko were left.

"Ne, Toshi-chan…" Shuko said, cutting off another of Toshiko's rants about propriety and 'unacceptable behaviour amongst family members,' "Play a game with me, ah?"

Toshiko blinked at the sudden request. She would've thought Shuko would press the issue of going out and playing, but it seemed that the Uzumaki Elder was intent on playing a round of the same wargame she had just won.

"You'll win," Toshiko pointed out. There was no humility on her part — it was just that self-obvious.

Shuko nodded. "I need to think," she explained.

That was never a good sign. Shuko in "thinking mode" meant something was weighing on her mind. Something that could affect the whole family.

Without a word, Toshiko went over to the war board and reset the units before going to her side of the board. She watched as Shuko walked over to her side and grabbed her unit-moving stick. Without a word, Shuko made the first move.

Toshiko was silent for a moment before moving a piece into position. In a split second, Shuko made her own. Clearly, she either already had a plan, or was acting recklessly.

The former being obviously the most likely situation.

"May I ask what weighs on you, Shuko-sama?" Toshiko asked as she moved another piece.

Shuko was silent and moved her own piece to counter Toshiko's move. For a moment, Toshiko thought Shuko would just brush off her question.

"You know that we are going to Konoha in a few days for the Chuunin Exams, ah?" she asked.

Toshiko nodded. She had personally overseen Shuko's luggage and arrangements for the trip. She was also to accompany her during her stay in Konoha. "Yes, Shuko-sama. We will be ready to leave upon your order."

"I made a bet," Shuko said, seemingly ignoring her comment.

"You fear it will not go your way?" Toshiko deduced, making another move on the board. It was quickly countered by Shuko, and Toshiko lost her first unit.

"I fear I may have been like Miki-chan," Shuko explained. "Reckless."

Toshiko frowned. True, that was a character flaw that surfaced from time to time in their esteemed Elder; however, it was rare enough to be unusual. She moved a piece, and consolidated her defense.

"May I ask why you think so, Shuko-sama?"

Shuko frowned and moved another piece. It made no sense, going _away_ from the main objective. "Keisuke and Heiyako are betting everything on this boy, Naruto. Tactic: Hide."

"The potential Clan Head. According to our spies, an immature, untrained brat," Toshiko recognized. "Tactic: Shieldwall. Pass."

Shuko pushed another unit on the board opposite from one previously moved and once again used her Hide Tactic. Another odd movement. Toshiko briefly wondered if her mentor was even paying attention. There was no way she could flank her defensive arrangement. The geography wouldn't allow it. Nor would she be stupid enough to be drawn out into an ambush.

"Exactly," Shuko agreed. "But why would people as smart as those two bet everything on someone as useless as that?"

Toshiko's gaze sharpened. "You think it's a trap?"

Shuko was silent for a moment, her gaze showing her true age as decades of wisdom beheld the war board in front of her. She had the look of a master strategist now, not that of a 12 year old child.

"Maybe," she conceded. "If so, I have walked us right into it."

Toshiko could now see why the Elder was so troubled. If she was right, then her fellow Elders had taken advantage of her reckless nature to sucker her into an unwinnable bet. Smart, if underhanded.

"Then what are we to do, Shuko-sama?"

Shuko smiled for the first time since their game began, and raised two fingers. "I call tactic: double march."

Toshiko blinked, taken aback by the Elder's sudden return to the game. In a moment, Shuko shifted her two hidden units down well beyond their usual movement range, parallel to the geographical features that made Toshiko's defenses practically impregnable, and hit the rear of the fictional village, easily overpowering its defenses.

Brilliant. Now, if Toshiko tried to backtrack and stop Shuko's flanking units, her frontal forces would decimate her by striking them while they retreated.

Game over.

"Ne, Toshi-chan," Shuko shouldered her unit-moving stick and grinned. "A trap is only a trap if you don't know about it, y'know?"

Toshiko watched the Uzumaki Elder look down at the board, proud of her newest victory. All signs of her melancholy and thoughtfulness were banished, replaced with confidence. The confidence of a thousand battles fought and won.

"But once you do, it's just a challenge."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Konoha Uzumaki Compound, Four Days Later (CE-1 Day)...<strong>_

It seemed ironic to Naruto that, at this moment in time, the self-proclaimed prankster king of Konoha was the one person in the entire village who least wanted to prank someone.

Yet there was no denying it right now. Arguably, he hadn't been able to pull off a good joke in a while, what with training and Nami and all that, so he'd been sort of happy to be able to cut loose when he got back.

But if that fun came at the cost of losing his friends' respect, he wasn't as enthused. Before his family had resurfaced, Naruto could not remember having anyone to turn to or talk to other than his classmates — and even those interactions were severely limited. Regardless, they had been the first ones to acknowledge him, even if out of annoyance.

So was it fair for him to deceive them, like they were the enemy?

Sitting on the porch of his new house — one he had all to himself apparently — he watched the rest of the clansmen walk down the dirt roads of their compound, still working and building as they continued to set things up to their liking. Even after a month at it, there were still many families who were sharing a home. He had offered to help, and did on occasion, but for the most part he was told that his own studies came first.

But what good was it to be a Clan Head, if he couldn't help out?

He waved at some of the children who ran by, waving crazily at him and greeting him. He felt like an old man, and he wasn't even 13 yet! How screwed up was that?

"Naruto-sama."

Naruto didn't even bother to turn as Kimiko addressed him. The redhead enforcer of the clan's discipline had taken to officially staying with him — ostensibly to better guard him. He'd tried to protest, on the grounds that Kimiko surely had better things to do than to guard him, but she and the Elders had none of it. It was another one of those things he had to get used to — clan traditions and all. It was sort of starting to grate on his nerves.

"Yo, Kimiko-chan."

"Takeshi-kun has sent word that he will be letting you take the day off, in anticipation of tomorrow's event," she informed him.

"Ah…"

There was a moment of silence before Naruto heard Kimiko's soft footfalls, until she knelt in seiza next to him, looking out at the busy road.

"Something is bothering you, Naruto-sama."

Naruto almost snorted. You didn't have to be psychic to know that. "I'm fine."

"Lying to me is counterproductive, Naruto-sama."

Naruto sighed. "I really wish you'd just call me Naruto, Kimiko-chan."

"And I would prefer you didn't lie to me, Naruto-sama."

Silence descended upon the two as they watched the busy road across the small garden.

"I don't like your plan," he suddenly spoke up, having decided to just get it all out. "I don't like lying to my friends, Kimiko-chan."

He heard her give a soft sigh. "I am aware of your objections, Naruto-sama," she said. It was true — this was hardly the first time in the past month he had become melancholic and despondent about his task. "Yet it remains our best course of action to defeat Shuko-sama."

Naruto scowled, turning his attention back to his older clansman. "And why do we need to deceive family anyway?"

Kimiko bowed her head, her stoic expression giving way to her own form of melancholy, he supposed. It looked weird on her. Kinda like she was constipated.

"Shuko-sama cannot be convinced by feats of heroism or arms, Naruto-sama," she said. "I must have defeated twenty of her champions in the past during similar conditions as right now, and she would still refuse to a reunion."

"She sounds like a stubborn old hag," Naruto muttered, looking away and back to the road.

Kimiko was silent, then made the briefest of strange noises that Naruto only belatedly realized was a restrained laugh. "She...can be difficult," she conceded diplomatically.

"So why do we want her?" Naruto asked. "If she thinks so low of family, maybe we should just ask the other clansmen what they think."

"Such a thing would be unthinkable, Naruto-sama," Kimiko said immediately. "Her cell...all of our cells...we have only survived as long as we have thanks to the leadership of our Elders. To ask them to betray their leader's trust would be catastrophic."

"Even if it's for family?" he asked her archly.

"Have you forgotten, Naruto-sama?" Kimiko asked him as she got back to her feet slowly. Naruto looked over and saw a mix of regret and longing as she spoke. "She is family too...and family does not betray family."

"Kimiko…" he tried to speak up, but she was already turning to leave. Ordinarily, that would never happen — she was much too attached to the idea of propriety and protocols to ever interrupt the Clan Head. Whatever it was that was eating at her, it must've been painful.

"Takeshi-kun may have give you the day off, Naruto-sama," she spoke up quickly. "But that does not mean you should slack off. Your seals will come undone tomorrow, when it is too late for Shuko-sama to try to shift the odds back in her favor." She turned to him, and he could see the same steely resolve he'd seen in her eyes back in Nami make a resurgence. "So ready yourself, Naruto-sama. As of tomorrow, I'm afraid there's no going back."

Naruto slowly nodded, and she left him to his devices. Turning back, he sighed and raised his right hand, channeling some chakra into it. There, on his wrist, he could see the two lines of characters that circled around his wrist appear. The one nearest his hand was pitch black, with the symbol for One firmly wedged in the middle. The one underneath it was barely visible anymore.

Chakra-sealing Fuin.

Ordinarily used for prisoners, Keisuke and Maki had applied the tattoo onto his arm at the beginning of the Chuunin Exam preparations, right after they had made the bet with Uzumaki Shuko. It had been decided, with Naruto's reluctant consent, that since it was unlikely the future Clan Head would be able to control his chakra flow to appear the fool, it would be best to seal away his ability to access as much chakra as they could without physically or permanently harming his pathways.

It hurt like a bitch whenever he got the urge to bust out a hundred clones, but it kept him in line. Only Takeshi, Keisuke, and Maki had the ability to temporarily lift the restrictions, which they only allowed for his training sessions with Takeshi.

Given that, he had spent most of his time with Keisuke and Maki, who did their best to teach him Fuinjutsu, though without much luck. Unfortunately, he just didn't have the attention span to sit around and learn things. They'd come up with a possible solution a few weeks ago, but even with the help of his clones, it was a slow going process. Nonetheless, he found himself looking forward to his last class before the Exams. At the end of one of his training sessions a few weeks ago, Maki had announced that she had found a sealing style that would fit his combat style best.

The lines on his wrist began to disappear into his skin once more as he let go of his chakra. A small, mischievous smile crept onto his face. In a sense, he realized, this could be considered his greatest prank yet. Everyone, from Shikamaru to Hinata, was so underestimating him right now that the moment the seal failed, he would likely cause their jaws to drop.

In fact, his little run-in from before with those Suna-nin, wherein Sasuke was forced to intervene, had done wonders to make even the foreign shinobi underestimate him!

Though, to be fair, that guy with the raccoon eyes made him a bit nervous. His stomach, in particular, had felt really _wrong_ while the boy's presence. As though his furry tenant had become agitated.

So, in recap: he had one more day of playing the fool, before the Chuunin Exams were underway. His friends all thought he was useless right now, and his great aunt, Uzumaki Shuko, had no idea of his real skills, thinking he'd be a worthless candidate, while his opponents had been treated to a scene of absolute incompetence from his part, meaning they would think him a pushover.

And the _only_ one who knew just _how_ false that was, was him.

He grinned.

Suddenly, things weren't looking so bad!

* * *

><p><em><strong>Konoha, Later That Day…<strong>_

The guards at the Western Konoha gate were, once again, the infamous Eternal Guardians, Izumo and Kotetsu.

Without a doubt, the two had to have some of the worst luck amongst the entire Chuunin Corps. Whatever they did, one or the other would somehow screw up and land the two of them into gate guard duty once more.

Honestly, Izumo was beginning to think that perhaps he should just revise his job title to "gate guard" and be done with it.

Of course, it didn't help that his friend and companion, Kotetsu, was among the least professional shinobi he had the displeasure to work with. Always flirting or fooling around, it was hardly a surprise that he always seemed to be in a spot of trouble. Meanwhile, because Izumo was such a good friend, he was always trying to get him out of trouble, and somehow always managed to get roped into his friend's punishment instead.

Which got him to think: why on _earth_ was he still friends with Kotetsu?

Still, he guessed he couldn't complain too much. Guard duty was infinitely less dangerous than anything else the Chuunin were regularly asked to do. And they sometimes got to witness some truly interesting moments.

Like the arrival of the Uzumaki, a few months ago.

Or the Daimyo's delegation's arrival for the opening of the Chuunin Exams, a few hours ago.

Or what appeared to be a small army marching their way, murder in their eyes.

Wait.

Izumo's brain reset itself, and was instantly alert. Eyeing a rock on the ground, he used his foot to kick it to Kotetsu, who quickly snapped out of his boredom-induced stupor. Though he seemed of a mind to complain, he quickly sobered up once he caught sight of the rather intimidating group advancing upon the gates.

What had them most worried however, was the tell-tale glint of headbands.

Shinobi.

They couldn't be contestants, however, as the candidates had all arrived several days ago. According to the Exam rolls, they weren't expecting anyone else.

Izumo turned to one of the other guards and pointed at him. "Inform the Hokage's office that a large group of potential attackers is incoming," he ordered. The shinobi nodded and promptly disappeared from view. Izumo turned back to the advancing group and soon began to realize that he wasn't dealing with _one_ group of shinobi, but rather _four_.

Iwa. Kiri. Kumo. Suna.

Suddenly, Izumo felt _way_ outside his pay grade.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how one viewed things), it seemed the incoming shinobi were rather distracted glaring at each other, rather than at him, Kotetsu, and Konoha in general. The sheer tension in the air was enough to make Izumo wish he was better armed than with a simple stick — which only really worked against civilians and _no one else_.

Within moments, the mass of angry shinobi were upon them and Izumo had to summon every ounce of his pride as a Konoha nin not to balk at all the killing intent being thrown around.

"Halt!" he said as firmly as he could — which he hoped was enough to get them to knock it off. He was desperately withholding a shiver, especially as he saw that in the midst of all the shinobi were four palanquins. The types _Kages_ used for official missions. "Please identify yourselves and the purpose of your visit!"

From the mass of angry shinobi — all of whom turned to glare at him and his fellow Konoha-nin who had come down from the wall to back him up — came forward four individuals.

The one from Kiri wore an eyepatch and had silver hair.

The one from Suna was an older man with the traditional Suna headdress and cloak.

The one from Kumo was a blonde man who had a disdainful smile plastered on his face that made Izumo want to punch him on principle.

And the one from Iwa was a young woman with a confident strut in her gait and a self-assured demeanour.

"Ao of Kiri!"

"Joseki of Suna!"

"C of Kumo!"

"Kurotsuchi of Iwa!"

Izumo had a bad feeling about this.

"ANNOUNCING THE ARRIVAL OF THE KAZEMIZUTSUCHIRAIKAGE" they all proclaimed as loudly and concurrently as they could. As if they were all competing with each other to get the first word in. When they obviously failed, they all turned to glare at each other, as did the entourages.

"Stop butting in!" they all managed to shout at each other in perfect harmony.

Izumo and his fellow Konoha-nin sweatdropped at the scene, and he was about to intervene when he felt his lungs almost freeze from the sudden, overpowering pressure that engulfed the area. Only years of life as a shinobi allowed Izumo and his fellow guards to remain standing, while the delegations seemed just as strained.

"Enough."

The powerful, booming voice came from the palanquins, and within moments, the curtains of the one marked with the Kumo symbol parted, revealing a giant of a man of dark complexion stepping out. Proud features were highlighted by a well groomed mustache and goatee and slicked back silver hair. His every muscle seemed to be bulging, the way a construction worker's usually did after years of heavy lifting. A golden boar's head worked as the clasp of an equally golden belt, and large golden bracelets peeking out from under his haori.

Izumo didn't need an introduction. The Bingo Book was sufficient to know who he was dealing with.

The Raikage.

"C!" he yelled. Blondie cringed, and Izumo felt a sliver of vindictive glee. He hated pretty boys like him; they had all the luck. "You are a shinobi of Kumo! Act like it!"

"Tsk. Looks like A-kun wants to go straight to business."

One by done, the curtains of the remaining three palanquins opened up, and out stepped the most remarkable assortment of persons Izumo had seen. From Iwa came a short, stocky, balding man with an impressive nose. From Suna walked out a man in traditional Suna attire, down to the face veil. Then, from Kiri came an elegant, voluptuous woman with auburn hair and a flirty smirk that might've made Izumo uncomfortable, if not for the highly volatile and deadly situation he found himself in.

The Raikage blew air out of his nose. "Hmph," he grunted. "If you three knew how to keep your men in line, this wouldn't happen."

"That's rich," the Tsuchikage said. "Coming from the man with the least self control in the world!"

A's glare could've melted diamonds. "You want to test my self-control, Onoki?"

The Mizukage sniffed disdainfully. "Boys and their...egos."

The Kazekage's hat tipped sideways. "Such useless talk will only decrease your...value...Mizukage-san."

_Oh my gods, I'm about to bear witness to the start of the 4th Shinobi World War_, was all that Izumo was thinking as the killing intent spiked in the group of the most powerful shinobi on the planet. Each Kage looked about ready to kill each other, and their delegations were seemingly ready to mix it up at a moment's notice.

Only Konoha and its shinobi stood in the way of complete chaos. Would they be up to the task?

_Hell the fuck no_.

Izumo was about ready to bolt back into the village with the guards and order a lockdown while the Kage foursome of doom duked it out _outside_ the hopefully resistant village walls.

Fortunately, he was spared from the indignity of having to run for his life like a scared child by the sudden explosion between him and the Kages. Cries of alarm rose out, and Izumo was sure his time was done, when he got a good look at the impact site, and was rewarded with the view of someone's broad, red haori-covered back, a long mane of white hair and a gigantic scroll.

"I see everyone's as excitable as ever."

It took him a few seconds, but Izumo recognized the man — arguably one of the most famous shinobi ever produced by Konoha.

"Jiraiya!"

The Toad Sage grinned as he straightened up, and Izumo could see even the Kages were suddenly more wary of the intruder than of each other.

"Now, why don't we all play nice and talk this over, yeah?" the legendary shinobi suggested, jerking his thumb over his shoulder in the general direction of the Hokage Tower. "I'm sure you all and the old man have _loads_ to discuss."

The Kages glared at Jiraiya, then each other, before they all nodded, one by one.

The Raikage's muscles flexed. "Fine," he acceded grudgingly. "We'll settle the score some other time, Onoki."

Onoki smirked. "Any time, A-kun."

"I suppose it's rather unlady-like to keep one's host waiting," the Mizukage agreed.

"Time is money, and one must not waste value," the Kazekage simply said.

With that said, the Raikage scrunched his brow, turned to the delegations, and bellowed out, "Kumo-nin! MOVE OUT!"

Similar orders were given by the other Kages, albeit more subtly, and Jiraiya nodded at Izumo before turning to lead the delegations into Konoha, having just averted the outbreak of a major war on its doorstep.

Only once they were gone did Izumo, Kotetsu, and the rest of the Konoha guards practically collapse in relief.

Who the hell said guard duty was boring?!

* * *

><p>"Tsk, it seems the plan failed, Shuko-sama."<p>

Shuko pouted as she watched the four shinobi delegations make their way towards the Hokage Tower. Still glaring at each other, but at peace...for now.

Shuko shrugged. "Eh, it was worth it to see those idiots almost have a go at it," she said as her group kept watch from atop a building. Their numbers were suddenly increased when shinobi of Kumo, Kiri, Iwa, and Suna appeared. There was a moment of silence before Shuko smiled.

"Welcome back, Karin, Jun, Miki, Ei. You did good work," she praised.

All four Uzumaki clansmen knelt before her and bowed their heads, taking off their forged headbands. "We were unsuccessful, Shuko-sama," Miki protested.

"It was a long shot anyway," Shuko said dismissively. "They may just look like dumb-dumbs, but they ain't Kages for nothing."

Fireworks shot out into the darkening sky then, exploding high overhead in a myriad of colored lights. All of her entourage followed her gaze upwards, and Shuko smiled. The Chuunin Exams had officially started.

"Besides, the fun's only just begun."


	23. Chuunin Exam Arc: The First Test

_**AN:** So, next chapter's up! Chunin Exams are underway, and Shuko's plotting continues! Hope you enjoy!_

_Cheers,_

_MB_

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Next Day...<strong>_

Today was not just another day for Konoha. Though the sky remained blue, the birds kept chirping, and people went about their business as usual, there was something in the air that made everyone realize that today was unlike any other day in the year.

The Chunin Exams were finally upon them.

And Naruto was freaking the _fuck_ out.

Now, normally, Naruto wasn't one to lie down when something went wrong or someone got up in his face. If life threw him lemons, he took those lemons and beat life to death with them. Then, he would pour the juice into life's wounds, just to remind life that he wasn't someone to boss around.

So it was that that morning, he had woken up refreshed, energized, and decidedly looking forward to the exams, now that his Chakra Restraining Seal was about to expire. Without it, he would finally be able to reveal the true depths of his skill, thoroughly shocking Konoha and Elder Shuko, who were likely expecting him to be the greatest failure in recent memory.

So, almost skipping, he had left the compound amidst the encouraging cheers of his family, feeling almost like a rock star. His confidence was at an all time high, and he had no doubts that, between him, Shikamaru, and Sakura, they would kick ass and take names.

So happy was he that he waved and greeted everyone on his path, regardless of whether or not they were glaring at him or even insulted him in return. Hell, he even stopped at one point to help out a little girl who's balloon had floated away just out of reach! She even thanked him by shaking his hand excitedly and wishing him luck!

It was all he could do to keep a straight face as he arrived at the testing center, where he was supposed to meet his far more reluctant teammates. How surprised they would be when he told them the truth, and then shared with them the moment his seal disappeared, thereby unleashing the true might of Uzumaki Naruto upon the world!

Except it wasn't disappearing.

Just before Naruto had decided to tell his teammates the truth, he'd decided to check the Seal, just to time things right. If he'd calculated correctly, there were about five minutes left on the seal, but he'd wanted to make sure. If he was right, the Seal's remaining line should be almost completely faded.

It was pitch black.

_Pitch. Black._

That meant he didn't have five minutes left on his seal. He had _one day left_.

Which was impossible, of course. He'd been keeping a steady eye on his seal ever since it was placed on him, and he'd _seen_ the last line start to dissolve all of last night, and again this morning. Keisuke and Heiyako had _personally_ inspected it! _Kimiko_ had seen it! Hell, he had checked it not twenty minutes ago and —

_WHY WAS IT PITCH BLACK?!_

"Oi, Naruto!"

Naruto froze, mid-panic attack. Shikamaru. Sakura. Right. Chuunin Exam. Right. Keep it together. This was nothing. One more day? He could handle that. As long as nothing involving chakra was involved, he was sure he could pass without a problem. Maybe.

"There you are!" Sakura said exasperatedly as she and Shikamaru approached him. "So, are you ready?" she asked doubtfully. "I heard the first part's a test."

Well, _shit_.

"Eh...it's probably nothing that straightforward," Shikamaru pointed out, unknowingly providing his blonde teammate much relief. "Encyclopedic knowledge isn't exactly a critical skill for Chuunin."

Sakura shrugged. "Just saying what I heard," she said, before cocking an eyebrow at Naruto. "What's with you? You're not half as hyperactive as you usually are."

Indeed. Instead of being the loud mouthed punk he'd pretended to be these past few weeks, Naruto was instead looking more like a cornered rat; sweating bullets, looking everywhere, twitching...honestly, if his friends hadn't known better, they would have thought he was an addict undergoing withdrawal.

Naruto laughed nervously, scratching his nape with a ferocity usually reserved for dogs and cats feeling _really_ itchy. "What? Me? No. That's crazy!" he rambled. "I'm not worried at all! Crazy! Hey, how about we go inside? Don't want to miss out on that _awesome_ test!"

With that said, Naruto turned on his heel and almost robotically marched into the testing center giving the fakest laugh ever, leaving behind two bewildered teammates.

"Okay, I know I don't give the _baka_ much credit to begin with," Sakura spoke up. "But _that_ wasn't normal, right?"

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed at Naruto's retreating back. No, that was most certainly _not_ normal, and given his previous doubts about his teammate's sudden skill drop, served to vindicate, at the very least, the _possibility_ that he'd been correct. If so, then something had clearly gone wrong.

Or Naruto had finally wised up, and was only now realizing how screwed he was, after having slacked off for weeks.

It was sort of depressing how either possibility was just as likely to be true.

* * *

><p>"Was it really necessary to tamper with his seal, Shuko-sama?"<p>

Shuko grinned as she swung her legs off the bench opposite the testing center, balloon in hand.

"Eh, it's just a bit of harmless fun," she said dismissively. "Those old farts thought they could pull one on me, so I just paid back the favor."

Wisely, no one in her hidden entourage pointed out that she was just as old as the aforementioned Clan Elders. Or that she _had_ been conned into this. As immature as Shuko acted at times, her wrath was significantly less innocent.

Shuko giggled as she watched the boy, Naruto, freaking out by himself. She had honestly not planned to come face to face with the boy who'd basically caused this whole series of events just yet. She'd hoped to face him later, in her older persona. A meeting wherein she would intimidate the crap out of him with her abilities, and show him how unprepared he was.

But life was all about coincidences.

She'd run into him while going around town having fun. It'd been a while, after all, since she and the rest of her clansmen had been in such a large population center as Konoha. Her cell tended to specialize in espionage missions and tactical advice, but as a rule avoided large cities for fear of running into someone who could ID them. This would be the first time in decades — or in their lives, for the younger generations — that any of them set foot in a major Shinobi Village.

Why not enjoy themselves, then?

So, Shuko had given them the day off, while she herself went about posing as just another kid visiting the village. Her hair was dyed, of course, and she had no Uzumaki crests anywhere on her clothing, so no one really looked at her twice as she enjoyed the sights.

She had _just_ acquired a balloon when a stiff breeze had all but ripped it out of her childlike grip, and was just about to give it up as a bad job when a blonde blur had appeared and grabbed the string just before it flew away.

That had been Uzumaki Naruto.

It didn't take long for her to recognize him — less than a second, in fact — thanks to the detailed profile her shinobi had drafted. She recognized his facial markings at once, as well as the blonde hair, blue eyes, and mischievous look in his eyes. It _almost_ hurt her to have to mess with this boy.

_Almost_.

Besides...if his profile was right, he'd appreciate the joke.

So she played the part of the thankful little girl, calling him "nii-chan" and everything, and shook his hand to bump up his confidence. Only, while she had done so, she had felt the presence of the Chakra Restraining Seal on the boy's wrist, and immediately understood Keisuke and Heiyako's plan. Not one to take such a bold move lying down, she discreetly tampered with the seal to extend its life by one day.

There. Now Naruto would _have_ to prove his mental acuity, without just relying on brute force. That had always been the biggest sticking point between her and the other Elders. Keisuke, Heiyako...hell, even that old fart Akio!...they all thought brute strength and/or courage were what was important in battle, while she was the lone voice of strategy.

Well, she had proven them wrong. Unlike every other cell, hers was the only one who hadn't been forced to move around after the Split. Her strategies had kept her clansmen safe, which also meant hers was numerically the largest of them all. It was little wonder Keisuke and Heiyako wanted her cell back — with her clansmen at their disposal, the Konoha Uzumaki would see their numbers double.

And the boy who was supposed to be the means of achieving that goal was now stuck in her trap.

She almost felt like laughing evilly. But then that would attract unwanted attention. So, instead, she settled for grinning and people-watching while she waited for the first exam's results. Without chakra, how would her clansman perform?

Would he sink, or swim?

* * *

><p>He was <em>so screwed<em>.

Naruto was sweating profusely in his seat, staring blankly at the sheet of super-complicated problems in front of him, wondering what on earth he'd done to piss off the powers-that-be. Not _one_ of these problems were _remotely_ within his limited grasp of theoretical shinobi knowledge. Sure, he wasn't as completely stupid as he'd been before he'd gotten access to a decent education, but even given that consideration, this was _way_ beyond him.

So why were Sakura and Shikamaru seemingly breezing right through?!

It also didn't help that the exam proctors looked super-tense, emitting what he recognized as killing intent pretty steadily. Something which, he realized, most of the foreign candidates were doing as well. It was as though the entire room was a cough away from becoming a war zone.

And what was up with those weird freaking rules?! 2 points for every time caught cheating?! The whole team failed if one person failed?! Were they _trying_ to tailor this exam to screw him over?!

What he wouldn't _give_ to be invisible right now! Maybe then he had a chance in hell to cheat off of someo—

A lightbulb went off in his head.

Cheat. That's right. He could _cheat_. He had 10 points to burn trying to cheat, and as long as he didn't zero out, his team wouldn't fail. This exam…

...was _made for cheating!_

...Which did absolutely _nothing_ to fix his situation, because he just so happened to be one of the _least_ subtle people in Konoha when it came to cheating. He was an open book whenever he wasn't trying to push down his loneliness, so whenever he'd tried to cheat at the Academy, he would inevitably end up giving himself away by his own expression of "cunning delight," as Iruka once called it.

Which meant he was still screwed unless he managed to think up of a way to cheat without being caught. Delving into his usual bag of tricks wouldn't cut it. All he really knew how to do was Kawarimi, Kage Bunshin, Henge, and whatever Taijutsu Takeshi had beat into his head.

Nor did his limited knowledge of seals help any either. All Keisuke, Heiyako, and Maki had taught him were the basics — he reminded himself he _still_ hadn't pranked Kimiko for forcing him and his friends to go through what was _apparently_ _useless_ meditative practice in Wave! — none of which was useful in trying to cheat.

He idly wondered if he could get away with setting the room on fire.

No. He shook his head violently, unaware of the amused gazes he was attracting from the exam proctors. He had to deal with this right. He'd been warned by Kimiko that Shuko would be paying careful attention to his actions at every stage of the Chunin Exams, so he could ill afford to make a fool of himself here.

_Think_.

"Excuse me, may I go to the bathroom?"

Naruto's head shot up, seeing one of the Suna candidates — the weird, make-up wearing dude from the other day who'd picked on the Hokage's grandson — standing at his seat. Naruto felt like punching him. Of _course_ they weren't going to let him do that! They were in a test! A super-awesome-fate-deciding test of _destiny_, where the Chuunin were separated from the—!

"Alright. But make it snappy."

Naruto's jaw dropped. He watched as the Suna candidate was shown out by a proctor, feeling too stunned to properly react. However, just as the proctor closed the door behind him, Naruto had a _great_ idea.

Well...12% of an idea. Maybe 10.

Either way, it was more than he had twenty minutes ago.

He waited a bit, five minutes in total, before he discretely put his hand over his stomach, charged it full of chakra, and tapped it with a Hakkesho strike. Naturally, it felt like someone had rammed a tree into his stomach, and it really was all he could do not to hurl right there.

Shakily — he really _was_ in a lot of pain — he raised his hand.

"Sorry, but I think I need to go hurl," he said with a weak smile. By the looks of disgust from the Head Proctor, Naruto knew he'd sold the man. He noticed that the two shinobi next to him had also bought his act, and were edging away from him. Good; it would help sell his story all the better.

"Ugh...just go," said the Head Proctor. Ibiki something or another. The man pointed at one of his assistants — the one Naruto vaguely recognized as Kotetsu, from the Village Gates. "You. Take this weakling to the bathroom."

Naruto almost rolled his eyes — and his cover — but managed to restrain himself as he had the handcuffs put on him. They were flimsy things — thin metal cuffs attached to each other by thin metallic links — which he had little doubt he could easily break out of. Fortunately, he didn't need to.

In hindsight, he was insanely lucky that they had chosen to use the Ninja Academy as the testing center for the first part of the Chunin Exams. He knew this place like the back of his hand, and he knew that between here and the bathroom was a hallway with a window looking out into the yard.

He waited until he and his escort reached said window, at which point he faked a stumble. Fortunately, the proctor's leash kept him standing, but the momentary vision block allowed Naruto to quietly summon a Kage Bunshin just outside the window, out of the proctor's immediate field of vision. He winced as the Chakra Restraining Seal made the act rather painful, having forced him to squeeze out as much as he could. It was a miracle it had worked at all.

"Hey! Get a hold of yourself!" the man chided him as he pulled Naruto back onto his feet.

Naruto, still feeling the effects of that Hakkesho blow to his stomach, did an excellent impression of suffering from an ill stomach — mostly because he really was. "Sorry. Guess I shouldn't have drank that milk this morning," he apologized before resuming their trek to the bathroom.

The plan was in motion, and now all he had to do was hope that the clone didn't blow it.

* * *

><p>Clone Naruto knew <em>exactly<em> what to do.

The problem, however, was that he had no idea _how_ to do it.

Quickly making his way back down to the ground floor while avoiding all the windows, Clone Naruto began to wonder just how exactly he was supposed to pull off the original's — arguably good — plan. The idea was to take advantage of the fact that he could pass on memories back to the original, but before he could do that, he needed to get to the answers. And how was he supposed to do that, when all of the answers were in the testing room?

He paused. They were, right?

Clone Naruto realized that they really had no idea. Still, he had to focus on what he _knew_: the test answers were in that testing room, and the only ones who likely had access to those answers were the proctors.

Like the one that was escorting Original Naruto.

An evil grin formed on his face.

* * *

><p>Naruto made good on his excuse of needing to throw up.<p>

Pushing in two fingers to the back of his throat, he wretched quite loudly for his escort's benefit, hoping meanwhile that his clone had found a way to get to the test answers. By the time he had worn out his excuse, however, he found himself feeling increasing amounts of panic as he realized the clone had yet to dispel, meaning he hadn't managed to complete his mission yet.

"Jeez, there's one puker every year," moaned his escort as they walked back to the testing room. On the way there, however, Naruto saw another Chuunin proctor approach, and Naruto felt a stab of panic as he wondered if his clone had been caught.

"Kotetsu," the man addressed his escort, extending a hand. "Something's come up."

Naruto glanced up at his escort nervously, wondering if this was the end of the line for him, Sakura, and Shikamaru. If so, he had no doubts both would make their displeasure with him _abundantly_ clear in the most violent ways imaginable.

"What's up, Koga?" his escort asked.

"Hokage says something's up at the East Gate. The guards there are having trouble with procedure, and since you're there all the time…"

Naruto watched his proctor escort twitch a bit at the mention of the gates. Obviously, he wasn't very happy with his usual duties. "What procedure?" he asked tightly.

There was a pause before the other proctor shrugged. "How the hell should I know? I'm just the messenger. Hokage says he wants you there, and that's all I really care to know."

There was another pause before Kotetsu slowly handed over Naruto's leash. "Alright. Just checking. Get him back before Ibiki blows a gasket, yeah?"

The other proctor nodded and then pulled at Naruto, bringing him in closer. "You got it," he told Kotetsu, who gave him a long stare before shrugging and disappearing via _shunshin_. "Dumbass."

Naruto's eyes widened as he connected the dots, grinning up at the proctor, who grinned right back in a very familiar fashion. Raising fists, they bumped their knuckles together in celebration at a plan well executed.

"Nicely done," he praised. Honestly, it was. With the Chakra Seal still in play, he'd feared the clone would dispel upon trying _any_ jutsu, yet it had managed to pull off a convincing _henge_. The _henge'd_ clone gave him a thumbs up. "But you need to henge back into Kotetsu or else we're blown."

With a nod, the clone followed his instructions, and he was soon back in the hands of "Kotetsu." Without delaying any further — time _was_ running out, after all — they both made their way back to the testing room, where Ibiki raised an eyebrow at the duo, but said nothing more.

Once back in his seat, Naruto watched as "Kotetsu" retook his place among the other proctors and began observing the other candidates. He made a great show of silently watching them for any slip-ups, to the point where Naruto felt like throwing him a paper ball to remind him they were on a tight schedule.

Then, just as his patience was wearing thin, "Kotetsu" got up, deliberately walked over to one of the candidates up front, and grabbed the young man's hand.

"Number 78. You're out," he said icily. "76, 77. You too."

Naruto watched the three Genin — all from Kiri, interestingly enough — slump their shoulders as they were finally caught out. "Kotetsu" grabbed their papers and walked them out, closing the door behind him. Honestly, picking people to flunk wouldn't have been that hard. There were maybe one out of every twenty people in the room who probably knew how to answer the questions without help. That meant that his clone could pick any of the remaining 19 and accuse them of cheating, and he would be right.

Moments later, Naruto felt a deluge of information flood his brain as his clone dispelled, and grinned, pencil at the ready. Whoever had messed with his seal was going to see that Uzumaki Naruto was _not_ going to take things lying down!

* * *

><p><em><strong>After the test…<strong>_

Shuko's eyebrows were twitching, torn between amusement and disdain.

Before the tests had begun, Shuko had made her shinobi go around the village planting monitoring seals in strategic locations. As Shuko knew that the Chuunin Exams typically had theoretical, practical, and combat components, she had deduced that they would likely need a testing center — which the Shinobi Academy provided perfectly.

Naturally, then, it was full of her monitoring seals, and watching the feed now, she was torn between hurting Naruto and laughing incredulously.

She had to give the boy credit — his plan had taken guts. If the clone had been pushed for more detailed confirmation by the exam proctor, she had little doubt the blonde's plan would've fallen apart immediately. Still, with most of his chakra sealed away, the boy's plan hadn't been a bad one...if perhaps somewhat sloppy.

She had seen enough for the first component, however. With what she'd seen, she could calculate a 98% chance that Naruto and his team would manage to reach the second test. With that in mind, she decided to leave her monitoring aside for now, and move on to the other purpose of her trip here — a visit to the Konoha Uzumaki compound.

She opened her eyes, severing her mental link to the monitoring seals, and spoke aloud to her hiding clansmen. "Have Karin-chan maintain her cover and continue her monitoring, while avoiding as much contact as possible with the boy and his teammates."

She hopped off the bench, balloon in hand, and walked away from the Academy. It spoke to her shinobi's reliability that she didn't wait around for an acknowledgement. They would simply get the job done.

As she made her way towards the compound, however, she bumped into a group that caught her attention. The group of foreigners were arguing quite loudly in the middle of the street, and from their headbands, she could tell these were members of the visiting Kages' escorts. Yet, standing off from them was another shinobi, who seemed content in watching the argument unfold. Despite wearing an Iwa headband, there was something about him that rubbed her the wrong way.

Call it a lifetime's worth of experience, but Shuko doubted that man came from Iwa.

She thought back to the moment when the Kages had arrived. Her shinobi had attempted to infiltrate their ranks in order to plant tracker seals on the visiting Kages themselves — it always paid off to know where the most powerful pieces on the board were — but had been unsuccessful due to the heavy security protocols in place. Yet, all of her clansmen had told her the same thing — the groups were acting much more hostile towards each other than they should have been. It was as though _someone_ was purposefully inciting conflict.

Now, truthfully, Shuko would have _loved_ to see the shinobi of Kumo, Iwa, Kiri, and Suna kill each other. In fact, were it not for the fact that she had clansmen here, she would have deliberately tried to incite such a war, given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Her hatred of the Shinobi Villages ran deep, but her commitment to family ran deeper.

So she restrained herself, mentally reassuring herself that there would be other occasions.

Yet it seemed that someone was actively attempting to do that very thing she'd fantasized of doing. If so, this was an unfortunate variable that had to be taken into account for her plans regarding Naruto. She could ill afford someone else barging in on her turf, after all.

She waited until she had cleared the scene of the increasingly hostile argument before addressing her unseen escort. "Takeru, Yukimaru," she called softly. "Follow _that_ Iwa-nin and report back," she ordered, never actually pointing at the target, lest it give her away. "Make sure you don't get made."

Once again, she received no answer, but needed none.

A smile crept onto her face. It seemed the Chuunin Exams were going to be _much_ more interesting than she'd initially thought.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Back in the Testing Center…<strong>_

"I told you before!" Naruto exclaimed, standing at his seat, holding out a defiant fist towards Ibiki. "I don't run. I don't quit. I'll follow my unwavering path to the bitter end. That's my ninja way!"

Shikamaru was torn between clapping, or punching Naruto for the briefest moment of panic he'd felt when he saw the blonde boy raise his hand after Ibiki had asked who else wanted to quit before the 10th question.

To be honest, he'd been amazed that Naruto had held it together as well as he had during the test, except for that minor vomiting episode, which he was almost 100% sure was made-up. Still, it had been nerve-wracking for the first few minutes, when he'd realized that the questions on the test were _far_ beyond Naruto's abilities. Or hell, his abilities, too. That was why, instead of even trying to answer all of them, Shikamaru had opted to focus on the couple he was able to understand — particularly the cryptography part; he was good at puzzles like that. Even if he didn't get the full 10 points, as long as he managed to get even just 1, his team would pass.

Slacking at its finest.

The problem lay with Naruto. He'd thought the boy would give up upon seeing the difficulty of the test, but if his observations were correct, Naruto had managed to deduce a way to cheat without being caught. Or, at least, caught 5 times.

If so, then his prior observations regarding the boy's true skills were right on the money. He knew that his fellow Genin were still finding it hard to believe that Naruto would have _any_ skills to hide, but Shikamaru, along with Hinata and Kiba, was dead certain there was more to the boy than met the eye.

And now he had proof.

A failure would never have stood up to Morino Ibiki, of all people, the way Naruto had. They wouldn't have had the confidence to speak the way he did. Even if Naruto was being an optimistic fool, thinking he could even win the whole Chuunin Exams, there was no denying the rough honor and courage that beat in the blonde's chest.

And there was no convincing him otherwise.

"Then…" Ibiki spoke up, giving off a rather evil smirk as Naruto stood there still, fist still outstretched. "To all the remaining teams….congratulations on passing."

Shikamaru sighed, having predicted this might be the logical outcome of the 10th question's "impossible scenario." There was no way Ibiki, a mere Jounin from Konoha, had _any_ right to ban applicants from testing again anywhere else in the continent. That meant it was a trick question, and while Shikamaru would have loved it if Naruto had let other, weaker teams drop out, he wasn't going to complain now that he had proof that Naruto wasn't the deadbeat loser he'd appeared to be these past few weeks.

Shikamaru zoned out while Ibiki went on to talk about the importance of duty and how one had to be able to take difficult decisions. It was all stuff he'd heard from his father before a million times, though he supposed it was also something of a wake-up call for his teammates.

Instead, Shikamaru fell back on fifth favorite (or least troublesome) activity — deciphering Naruto.

There was no question that the boy had faked his idiocy these past few weeks, but that now begged the question: why? Who had Naruto been trying to fake out? His skills had been well established among the Genin before the mission to Nami, and Hinata and Kiba had both asserted that he'd improved tons during the mission, so Shikamaru doubted this was for Konoha's benefit. Especially since the two people who ought to know the truth, Kakashi and the Hokage, both seemed to be "in" on it, given their utter lack of disciplinary measures against Naruto.

Nor did he believe Naruto to be targeting his own clan. In fact, he rather suspected the Uzumaki to be responsible for this plan. That meant there was another party he was unaware of that Naruto and his family, plus Kakashi and the Hokage, were trying to swindle in some way. Not only that: it was apparently significant that Naruto _completely_ sell the lie by even lying to his friends.

Then there was Naruto's reaction at the beginning of the test. Rather than act like the dumbass he'd been pretending to be these past few weeks, Naruto had seemed on the verge of a panic attack. Not so much because of the test, but because of something...else.

Perhaps something had gone wrong in his ruse?

It seemed the most logical possibility, if he discarded the idea that Naruto was simply panicking because he really was a dumbass and was only now realizing how utterly fucked he was.

He resolved to find out, just as soon as Ibiki was finished with his—

CRASH.

Shikamaru sweatdropped as quite possibly the least decent shinobi in Konoha made a _waaaaay_ over the top entrance, crashing through the window and unfurling a ridiculously large banner. He'd heard of her, of course — Mitarashi Anko. His father had mentioned her on occasion, usually in relation to her work as part of Ibiki's infamous Torture and Interrogation Division.

Oddly enough, she reminded him of Naruto, especially when she realized how unnecessarily loud she was and how much her sense of timing sucked.

Fortunately, she rallied fast enough to make a snarky comment about how Ibiki was getting soft — if this test was soft, Shikamaru didn't want to know what _hard_ was — and how she would cut them down by half — a clue? — and was just about done telling them where to go for the Second Test, before promptly jumping out the window.

Training Ground 44.

Unsurprising, given what he knew about Anko. Troublesome as hell, sure, but unsurprising. The so-called Forest of Death sounded _exactly_ up her alley.

He met up with Sakura before he found Naruto, and found his pink-haired teammate to be in a pensive mood.

"Let me guess," he said as he approached her. "Naruto."

Sakura eyed her teammate. Once upon a time, she might've dismissed him as some lazy layabout, but having trained next to him and seen him pull out all stops, she knew him to be among the most brilliant people she knew.

"Yeah," she confirmed reluctantly. "I'm guessing this is where you tell me, I told you so?" she asked ruefully.

Shikamaru shrugged. "I ain't that petty," he said, leaning against a wall as they waited for Naruto to show up. "But I did tell you so," he then added with a sly smirk.

Sakura punched him lightly in the arm. "Jerk," she mumbled, clearly feeling conflicted after having witnessed Naruto's sudden change of heart. Part of her still obviously felt the boy was beneath her notice, but another, growing part of her had begun to see what Hinata, Kiba, and Shikamaru saw in him. When he'd spoken up against Ibiki, Sakura had been on the verge of a panic attack, and Naruto — inept, deadbeat, _loser_ Naruto — singlehandedly blew away every one of her concerns. In that one brief moment, she had looked at Naruto and not seen some misfit who would drag her down, but someone she would follow into battle without a second thought.

Shikamaru let his pink-haired teammate sort out her feelings as he leaned against the wall next to her, waiting until Naruto finally detached himself from the mass of students filing out, waving at his team excitedly.

"There you are," Shikamaru greeted him loudly, snapping Sakura out of her thoughts. He pushed himself off the wall and smirked. "That was a hell of a scare you gave us, dumbass."

Naruto grinned. "Eh...sorry 'bout that," he apologized half-heartedly, scratching the back of his neck. "That bastard ticked me off, y'know?"

Shikamaru shook his head in mock exasperation. "One of these days, Naruto, you're going to have to stop being so damn troublesome," he said as he waved at his team to follow him. They were practically the last ones in leaving. "Come on. Let's see what that crazy chick has in store for us."

Sakura and Naruto both nodded, the former seemingly having regained a bit of her confidence as she clenched her fists, emulating Naruto's confident smile.

"Yeah!"

* * *

><p>Hinata and Kiba felt conflicted.<p>

Both Genin had gone into the exam with one real objective in mind — Naruto. The former desperately wanted to find evidence that the boy she deeply admired in Nami was not an illusion, while the latter intended to vindicate his belief that he needed to punch Naruto back onto the right path.

Results were mixed.

Hinata had easily breezed through the test, having realized the whole point of it and used her Byakugan to gather the necessary information. Kiba, for his part, had depended on Akamaru — perched on his head — to relay what information he could see. Both had managed to complete the test in half the time provided.

So the other half they just observed Naruto. Neither sat close by, but both had good vantage points to see his back. Hinata fretted as she watched Naruto go through the obvious physical signs of panic, while Kiba tightened his fist around his pencil with increasing anger, until finally it snapped in half in his hand.

Then Naruto asked to go to the bathroom because he needed to puke, and Kiba was just about ready to charge the blonde and beat him senseless on the spot. Hinata, however, was far less hotheaded, and noticed, thanks to her handy-dandy Byakugan, that Naruto had purposefully injured _himself_. Stunned by the sudden turn of events, she followed his progress out of the room and saw the moment he had created his iconic Kage Bunshin. Relief flooded her system as she watched the whole series of events unfold.

There he was. There was her Naruto. The cunning prankster and clever shinobi. He had figured out a way out of this test, just like he would have done in Nami! But at the same time, Hinata saw that the one clone had cost Naruto a lot. His entire chakra system was straining to produce it, and she felt wonder at the fact that he hadn't collapsed.

How was that possible?

She'd seen his chakra system before. His reserves were...well, vast didn't really cover it. She'd seen him produce dozens, _hundreds_ of clones before, so why was he straining just to create the one?

She thought back to the past few weeks, when he'd managed to unknowingly break her heart every day as he acted the fool. In retrospect, she had rarely, if _ever_ seen him use a technique during those days. Nor had she really paid his chakra system any attention, given that she'd already seen it in Nami.

But now that she _did_ pay attention, he was clearly struggling to mold his chakra — which just wasn't possible! One didn't develop such a condition overnight, especially when one had a fully functional system all their lives!

So while she was relieved that the boy she deeply admired was not the idiot everyone thought he was, she was now also wracked with worry, as she realized that he was not in any condition to be in these Exams.

Kiba, for his part, was much more straightforward. Naruto was still acting like a pathetic weakling, when he _knew_ he wasn't. That either meant Naruto had always _been_ a weakling and dumb luck had saved his hide, or Naruto was lying to him, and so needed to be taught a lesson in deceiving his friends.

Both scenarios ended with the same result: Kiba punching Naruto repeatedly until the blonde apologized and made amends.

Both of Naruto's former teammates eyed the looming Forest of Death. One with apprehension, another with conviction. Whatever their feelings were about the blonde, this place would be the stage on which they would get their answers.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Uzumaki Compound…<strong>_

"You did _what?!_"

Kimiko was on her feet, panicked expression marring her beautiful features, as she stared at the back of the redheaded child sitting quite relaxedly before the Elders.

Uzumaki Shuko.

However, Kimiko wasn't the only one to have reacted poorly to the news. Hikari, sitting beside her for the first time in _years_, had her hands covering her mouth in horror at what Shuko had announced, while the others of their generation, Raiden and his group excluded, all emulated their expressions to one degree or another.

"Naruto-sama!" Hikari breathed, her voice muffled by her hands.

Keisuke, for his part, looked _pissed_.

"Tampering with a seal is a dangerous and foolish game, Shuko!" he rumbled as he stood up. Despite his diminutive height, Uzumaki Keisuke was still capable of emitting powerful killing intent, which was now all directed at the bored-looking Shuko. Her accompanying clansmen, sitting on the right side of the meeting hall, tensed at the act, their unreadable stares aimed at the Konoha Uzumaki across the small pathway left open for Shuko. "_Especially_ given the circumstances!"

Shuko pouted, idly playing with her hair. "Mou...you guys started it," she pointed out childishly, yet also reminding Keisuke that this was a battle of _his_ making. "Tricking me with that bet and all...it's not nice to trick children!"

Veins bulged on Keisuke's bald head as he listened to Shuko exculpate herself of all guilt in this worst-case scenario. "Shuko!" he yelled, his chakra flaring. Next to him, Heiyako's own glare at her child-like colleague increased, her own chakra building up. "Do you mean to _kill_ the Clan Head?!"

Neither Elders' actions had any impact on Shuko's mood, as she simply smiled slyly and unleashed her own chakra reserves. It was a sobering reminder that all three of them stood on equal grounds. If any of them really decided to go all out, there would be nothing left of the compound but a steaming crater.

"Now, now," she chided in a sing-song voice. "If you didn't want me to fool around with his seal like that, then maybe you shouldn't have put it on him in the first place," she reminded them. "You both knew what I'm like, and you _know_ I don't like being tricked. Na-ru-to-sa-ma will just have to make do without his chakra for a little while longer. If he's as good as you think he is, I'm sure he'll survive."

The way Shuko had mockingly stated Naruto's name made Kimiko's chakra flare, responded in kind by one of Shuko's clansmen, whom Kimiko was shocked to recognize.

"You!" she gasped, staring at the other side of the hall.

Shuko smiled back at her. "Kimiko-chan~" she acknowledged the Uzumaki enforcer at last. "I figured you, of all people, would be thrilled at my little prank," she said, giggling, before turning back to the Elders. "But if not, then maybe Isamu-chan can play with you, if you want someone to help you vent?"

Kimiko grit her teeth, forcing herself to back down. Uzumaki Isamu was the one person in Shuko's cell she had never managed to beat, yet had never beaten her either. In every occasion that she'd attempted to force Shuko to reunite with the other cells, she had forced Kimiko to fight a series of champions until she reached Isamu, at which point she would inevitably fight to a draw.

"That's what I thought~" Shuko sang, before getting to her feet.

"Shuko!" Keisuke raised his voice again. "We're not done here!"

Shuko gave him a bored look. "Yes, Keisuke, we are," she said flatly. "Until your golden child is back, one way or another, we're done here. Either he succeeds, in which case you've won the bet; or he fails, in which case I win the bet, and you leave us alone for good."

Shuko paused, cutely pushing up her lower lip in mock thought. "But...well...odds are, I'm going to win now, so...ta!" With that, she giggled all the way out of the hall, her clansmen diligently, but silently following her lead.

Kimiko shot Isamu a glare, who responded with a taunting smile as he followed his clansmen out.

"We need to postpone the Exam!" Hikari cried out once Shuko and her clansmen had left. "If we tell them Naruto-sama has been unfairly tampered with—!"

Keisuke fell down onto his ass, looking defeated. "We can't," he said through gritted teeth. "The Hokage made that clear to us. No matter what happened after the first test began, we were _not_ to interfere," he explained. "He can't afford us making a scene while the Five Kage Summit is underway."

"But surely, given the circumstances…!" Akemi spoke up, looking just as scared as the others. If Naruto died because of his lack of chakra, not only would that be an incalculable tragedy for the Clan, it would also annihilate any hopes they had of bringing the family back together!

"I'm afraid the Hokage's word was final, Akemi-chan," Heiyako said firmly. "We can do nothing for Naruto-sama."

"Except pray, and hope he comes out safely," Keisuke added, covering his eyes to hide away his frustrated glare. "Damnit...Shuko…."

Kimiko all but slammed her head against the tatami floor just then, surprising everyone.

"Elders!" she cried out. "I...This is _my_ fault!" she claimed, uncaring that the impact of her headbutt against the floor had actually broken skin and was marring the tatamis with her blood. She ignored the cries of alarm among her clansmen, or even Sora's insistent offer to heal her. "I am the one who thought of tricking Elder Shuko! And...because of that….because of my _stupidity—!_ I _must_ be punished!"

Hikari looked down at her sadly, her hand hovering over her bent back, as though unsure whether or not to try and comfort her. "Kimiko-chan…"

Natsu, Yuki, and the rest, all of whom were used to the far less emotional, far more mechanical Kimiko of the past, stared at her disbelievingly. Never in their lives had they imagine they would have ever seen the day where Kimiko would become this bent out of shape over the fate of anyone else.

Keisuke sighed. "No one will be getting punished, Kimiko."

Heiyako nodded, looking at the wounded Uzumaki enforcer with a sad smile. "We couldn't have predicted Shuko would go this far just to win the bet," she added. "You did the best you could, under the circumstances."

"But…!"

She was suddenly cut off when a fist grabbed her by the back of her head and forcefully lifted her up. She squinted in pain as the strong grip pulled at her hair, and through her squints saw Takeshi's fierce grin.

"Gihi. Don't mock my training, Kimiko," he warned, before letting her go and getting up to his feet. "I ain't trained no weakling."

He punched his open palm and gave the Elders a twisted grin. "If that bitch thinks any pupil of mine's gonna crash and burn because his chakra's gone, she's got another thing coming to her."

"That's right!" All eyes turned to see Maki hopping onto her feet, planting both fists onto her hips. "Naruto-sama may be a bit slow, but he's learned enough about sealing to be miles ahead of anyone else in these Exams!" she said confidently, winking at Hikari and Kimiko. "And if all goes wrong, he's still got _that_ seal to fall back to! You'll see!"

Maki and Takeshi exchanged confident smiles before extending their hands and bumping fists before the rest of their clan. Kimiko, Hikari, and the rest of their clansmen looked up at them with growing hope. Perhaps there was a way, after all?

"Naruto/Naruto-sama...will win!"

* * *

><p>Naruto gazed upon his wrist, the Chakra Restraining Seal finally losing some of its opacity.<p>

Moments ago, he had come clean to Shikamaru and Sakura about everything. The bet with Shuko, the seal, the charade of the past few weeks — everything. Needless to say, once Sakura had whaled on him enough to vent her frustration at him, she and Shikamaru had come to the conclusion that he'd done what he'd had to do, for the sake of family. Sakura even conceded, somewhat reluctantly, that it made him a bit cooler.

Naruto managed to waste that goodwill exactly two seconds later, when he asked her on a date. The subsequent punch essentially restored their relations to their usual, friendly, one-sided bickering.

Shikamaru, for his part, had just nodded at him in respect once Naruto was done explaining.

But now, his team stood before the gates of Training Grounds 44 — the Forest of Death. With a Heaven Scroll in hand, they awaited the starting signal for the second task to begin, and Naruto wasn't so conceited he would deny being a bit nervous. Without his chakra reserves on hand, his skill list was severely diminished. All he really had left in him was perhaps _one_ Kage Bunshin, Taijutsu, and whatever seals he could pull off — although given his rookie training and the lack of chakra he could pour into them, they would be quite weak right now.

Unless he used _that_ seal, but Maki-chan had been _exceptionally_ clear that he was to under _no circumstance_ use that seal unless there were _no other option_. According to what he remembered from her explanation, it was a _very_ powerful seal, designed for situations where the user was forced to go ahead of the team alone, but required skills they did not have.

It sounded awesome, and Maki had giggled in a somewhat unstable fashion at the mere thought of it — which was, terrifyingly enough, a good sign among the Uzumaki — but she had also warned that it came at a cost.

Whoever used the seal would be so drained by its effects that it would knock them out for at least 24 hours. According to her explanation, there had been cases of Uzumaki clansmen simply ending up comatose after a particularly harrowing use of it. The only reason she had even given him the secrets to the seal was because he was Jinchuuriki, so she had theorized that the Kyuubi's power and self-preservation instincts would keep him alive and in one piece.

He really wished, at times, that his clansman wouldn't gamble with his life like that…

But just as quickly, he thanked both his master and Maki-chan for having even bothered to train him. If he hadn't learned a thing at their hands, and just relied on the age-old tricks he'd known before his family had come back into his life, he might have felt terrified by what he was about to face.

Instead, he felt ready. A little anchored down, but ready.

Whatever had happened to the Chakra Restraining Seal would have to wait. For now, he and his team just needed to survive another 18 hours, and then the seal would wear off, his chakra restored.

"Shikamaru. Sakura-chan," he addressed his teammates, who nodded behind him, faces set in grim determination. The signal flare went off. "Let's go!"

"Yeah!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Post-AN:<strong> GASP! Shuko **wasn't** trying to start WWIV? WHO KNEW? Oh, right - me. But then, who **is**? DUN DUN DUN._

_**READ BEFORE YOU REVIEW**_

_**Shuko:** Okay. I feel like this needs to be said after a few reviewers have decided to basically misread the entire point of this pivotal arc character. Let's start over.  
><em>

_1. Uzumaki Shuko is **not** a likeable character. She is not **meant** to be._

_2. Uzumaki Shuko is not a sociopath, she is a survivor of **genocide**, and is (somewhat understandably) remarkably bitter and vindictive because of that._

_3. Uzumaki Shuko did **not** attempt to initiate the Fourth Shinobi World War, so the **only** bad thing she's done so far is tamper with Naruto's seal._

_4. Uzumaki Shuko is acting like a jerk because she was **tricked** into gambling away her clansmen's future under misleading odds.__  
><em>

_5. Uzumaki Shuko has not **stated** that she wants Naruto dead. And if you read the chapter **carefully**, you will notice that I've given a hint regarding her **actual** state of mind._

_6. Uzumaki Shuko is not godly for having tampered with Naruto's seal "at a touch," she used the **invisible-ink** tattooed sealing formulas that **every** Uzumaki sealer has on their **hands** to change **one** parameter on a **well-known** seal during a _**_prolonged_**_ handshake._

_Hopefully, that will clear things up._


	24. Chuunin Exam Arc: The Second Test Pt 1

_**AN: **And the saga continues! For those of you who've stuck around this far - thank you all so much! I know I may at times take ages to update, and I am highly appreciative of your patience.  
><em>

_Now onto the boring parts:_

_1. Still no pairings decided or planned. Wait until Shippuden, guys._

_2. Shuko - remember, you only have a partial image of her character. Wait until you get the whole picture to make any decisive judgments about her character. Her actual plan has not even been revealed yet._

_3. Yes, the Second Test will be divided into two parts. Why? Because besides Naruto and his team's performance, there's also the question of the Go-Kage Summit and Shuko's plotting, which would make for a gargantuan chapter indeed if I decided to put it out all in one go._

_And that's it! Oh, and for those who are still confused as to who Shuko and Toshiko would be in this AU version of Fairy Tail, they're Mavis and Zeira, respectively. The former a far darker Mavis, granted, but Mavis nonetheless._

* * *

><p><em><strong>17 Hours Until Chakra Seal Dissipates…<strong>_

Naruto swallowed nervously as he watched the team of Iwa Genin walk through the forest beneath them.

An hour had passed since the exam's start, and Naruto felt increasingly vulnerable with every passing second, the black tattoo on his wrist a stark reminder that, right now, he had about as much chakra at his disposal as Sakura and Shikamaru combined. Maybe a bit more than that.

Meaning, in short, that his skills were confined to Taijutsu and whatever sealing he could pull out of his ass.

Fortunately, Shikamaru and Sakura already knew all about his situation, and between the two of them, had devised ways to ambush enemy Genin without risking open battles.

Right now, they were on their second team, after their first victims turned out to also have a Heaven Scroll.

A loud groan coming from further ahead caught the shinobi's attention, also telling Naruto that the plan was on. Watching the Genin from above, he saw as they quickly moved towards the source of the groaning, revealed to be Sakura.

His pink-haired teammate was on the ground, nursing a swollen ankle, but also looking quite disheveled. At a glance, one might have reasonably concluded that she had gone through an extremely harrowing experience. In reality, she and Shikamaru had all but forced Naruto to smack her around a bit to make the wounds look a bit more realistic, and then had her basically roll around in mud and leaves to really sell the bit.

"Well, well, well…" gloated the leader of the Iwa Genin. Naruto rolled his eyes. Could he _be_ any more of a stereotype? "Look what we have here."

He watched Sakura twitch in similar irritation, but she kept to her part, making a show of trying to crawl away.

"No! Stay back!" she pleaded half-convincingly. Honestly, he couldn't blame her. These three Iwa Genin were acting like something out of a bad kabuki play.

"Where's your team, girlie?" the lead Iwa-nin asked amidst a mean chuckle. "Left you all alone, did they?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. He didn't like the way the Iwa-nin were acting. The strut in their step, the way their body language was leaning towards Sakura...it almost felt like…

"They'll come back!" Sakura shouted defiantly, still edging away. "They…!"

A kunai embedded itself in the tree trunk next to her, and all signs of pleasantry in the Iwa-nin disappeared in an instant. The three shinobi towered over Sakura, menacing glares adorning their faces as they brought out kunai.

"I don't care," said the leader, grinning maliciously. "I've been itching to gut one of you Konoha hippies for a while now. Lucky me, there's one right here!"

Yeah, no.

Naruto saw Shikamaru's signal and softly dropped down behind the group, hands already set into the formal Hakkesho stance.

Drawing as much chakra as he could, wincing at the effects of the Chakra Restraining Seal, Naruto glared at the backs of the Iwa-nin, just as they began to realize someone was behind them.

Too late.

"Uzumaki Hakkesho!" he cried out. "Futago Tenkusho!"

Naruto's open palms struck at the Iwa team's leader's back full force, the added chakra serving to significantly increase his damage. The Iwa-nin's back arched forward unnaturally as he was blasted away, slamming into a nearby tree before sliding down, out for the count.

"You...!" the other two Iwa-nin were significantly faster on the uptake, and were already mid-swing to end Naruto's life, when they suddenly froze in place. Good thing, too, because that strike had left Naruto feeling a bit winded.

"Took you long enough, Shika," Naruto said with a tired grin. He _really_ hated this Chakra Seal right now. Two fights, and he was already starting to feel tired. It didn't help that most of his techniques were chakra-intensive.

"What the...?"

"Let us go!"

An unseen presence clicked its tongue. "Stop jabbering and just knock them out, will you?" Shikamaru grumbled from his hiding spot. "Sakura, help him out."

Sakura nodded and hopped back onto her feet, surprising the Iwa-nin. Before they had a chance to react, however, Sakura and Naruto swiftly dispatched them with a hard blow to the nape.

"Jeez...do you guys have to hit so hard?" Shikamaru complained as he came out of the bushes. "You know I kinda feel what they do when you hit them, right?"

Sakura huffed. "Oh, stop your bellyaching! You're not the one who had to play victim for the second time in a row!" she chided while rifling through the Iwa team's pockets for their scroll.

Naruto grinned. "Besides, you're still up, right?" he pointed out, before finally hitting paydirt. "Got it! Aw...a heaven scroll."

Shikamaru spat to the side. "Damn. That's twice already," he noted.

"What do you want to do with it?" asked Naruto as he held it out for Shikamaru. They still had the other Heaven Scroll they'd pilfered from the first team — a team from Taki — they'd come across. For her part, Sakura was busy tying up the Iwa-nin to make sure they wouldn't be an immediate threat.

"It's no use to us. Why not leave it with them?" suggested Sakura. "I mean, Naruto broke that other guy's leg, so they were out anyway, but these guys would still have a shot."

"Except they tried to kill you out of spite," Naruto pointed out. "I say we burn it."

Shikamaru was silent for a moment, eyeing the scroll, before glancing at the Iwa-nin.

"Actually, I have an idea," he said.

* * *

><p>The Iwa Genin woke up drowsily a few minutes later, still reeling from their fight against the Konoha-nin. Bitterness well in them as they realized they'd been lured into a rather simple trap, motivated by their own bloodlust and arrogance.<p>

All three Genin vowed to hunt down the Konoha shinobi and pay them back in blood for the humiliation.

Or they would, if they could actually move.

Looking down at themselves, they saw that they were still tied up — and tied up _very_ well — and their scroll was lying on the ground in front of them. The stupid Konoha Genin must've decided to leave it there in good faith. Fucking hippies.

"Oi, Karasu, get us out of these," the leader ordered one of his teammates, who glared right back.

"My hands are just as tied as yours, dumbass!"

"Will you two stop whining? We need to get out of this mess!"

The leader growled as he tried to shift within the thick ropes, but found that they were very sturdily tied. He could barely move a muscle.

Then the scroll moved.

The leader blinked. Had he seen right? Was his mind playing tricks on him?

"Hey...did anyone else see that?"

"See what?"

The leader nudged his head forward. "The scroll! It moved!"

The one called Karasu snorted. "Right. A scroll moved on its own. I swear, Kuro, you...holy shit."

The scroll had again moved. Or rather, twitched.

"What the fu—?"

Then, all of a sudden, the seal on the scroll was ripped out and the scroll unravelled in front of them, to their horror. With dawning realization, they understood that the Konoha Genin had _not_ just left them to their own devices — they had boobytrapped them with their own scroll!

"Oh, son of a bi—!"

BOOM!

In an instant, all three Iwa-nin were unconscious, the scroll still steaming. Standing above them, hidden in the tree branches, were their aggressors, who had been watching the entire time.

"So, that's what happens," mused Shikamaru as Naruto and Sakura began playing keep-away with their own scroll. Now that they knew, they had added incentive to make sure they didn't open the goddamn thing.

* * *

><p><em><strong>12 Hours Until Chakra Seal Dissipates…<strong>_

If Naruto hadn't known any better, he would have sworn he'd stepped onto a war zone.

Blood and gore were splattered everywhere in this particular clearing, and from the looks of it, it had been an entirely one-sided affair. He spied a couple of Ame headbands, as well as what seemed to be a parasol of some kind.

"Jeez," he mused. It was sort of disturbing him that he'd grown used to this sort of thing after the first couple of hours of this Second Task. "Lucky we weren't here."

He felt his arm act up, and raised his sleeve to reveal the rudimentary communication seal he'd applied onto his upper arm. It worked like the Uzumaki tattoo, but had shorter range and was temporary, given that Maki and Keisuke had refused to teach him how to tattoo permanent seals until he was _much_ more well versed in Fuinjutsu. According to the pattern of chakra pulses he was feeling, the message was from Shikamaru.

No joy on his end, either.

Naruto sighed. They'd spent the better part of the day looking for teams with a Scroll of Earth, with no luck. So far, they'd found four teams — two from Kusa, one from Taki, and one from Suna — and all of them had been carrying Scrolls of Heaven.

Which seemed damned unlikely, odds-wise, and Naruto had seen that it had bothered Shikamaru and Sakura as well. Beyond the merely irritating, that is.

Naruto scoured the area for signs of the scroll, but found nothing. Whoever had done this had either taken the scroll with them, or had decided to destroy it. One of the Kusa teams had confessed to doing as much with other Scrolls of Heaven, just to decrease the potential competition.

With a sigh, he channeled a minute amount of chakra — small enough that his seal wouldn't try to hurt him for doing so — and sent back his own report of failure. So far, it seemed to Naruto that all of the Scroll of Earth teams were either deliberately avoiding his team, or had up and disappeared.

Shortly after he sent the message, he got another one in return, again from Shikamaru. It was the "return to base" code, meaning they were turning in for the night. Hopefully, there would still be teams the next day.

Or, at least, that was the plan.

The moment he jumped onto the nearest tree branch, ready to get back to the rendezvous point, his communication seal acted up, an urgent message coming from...

From Sakura.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. A lot of the message was confusing — likely due to the speed with which Sakura was transmitting her pulses in Morse code — but if he had gotten the gist of it, she'd come across something and needed help.

Naruto grit his teeth. He was in no position to help anyone, but at the same time, he couldn't just ignore a request for help, especially when it came from a teammate who could be in danger. Quickly scaling up the nearest tree, he reached the top without much trouble — aside from some carnivorous slugs he deftly avoided — and perched himself at the top, until he saw what seemed to be a dust cloud rising from the forest canopy maybe half a kilometer away.

Close enough.

Shikamaru's signal came in at that moment, requesting further details — which was just so Shikamaru, really. Unlike Naruto, the Nara heir wasn't willing to jump into something blindly, always needing a plan. It was something Naruto could understand, even if he couldn't hold to it himself.

"Sometimes you gotta dive before you look, Shika," he mumbled as he sent back his intent to move in for the rescue. He ignored Shikamaru's warnings, and jumped to the next nearest tree, happy that enough of his chakra remained that he could navigate the forest without much trouble.

Chakra restraints or not, he would never abandon someone in need.

* * *

><p>Sasuke was in big trouble, and he knew it.<p>

Now, months ago — hell, when he was back in the _Academy_ — he might've thought the idea of so many cannon fodder coming at him at the same time might've been insulting. Pathetic, even. After all, he had consistently ranked as the best of his class, and even after all the training they'd gone through together, he was still top dog — the closest of any of them to actual Chuunin level.

Reality, however, liked to kick people who thought like him in the balls.

Leading to his present circumstances.

Sasuke and his team — Hinata and Choji — had managed to intercept a team with the needed Scroll of Heaven fairly quickly, thanks in large part to Hinata's diligent use of her bloodline. Then, with Choji acting as a distraction, Sasuke had dispatched the enemy Genin — a weaker team from Konoha — with relative ease. In less than a day, his team had been ready to go right for the tower.

And then the Oto nin came out of the woodwork.

At first, Sasuke had imagined his team was just unlucky enough to run into the foreign shinobi. Fortunately, they hadn't been all that dangerous, and were quickly dispatched. His team then renewed their journey towards the tower at the center of Training Grounds 44, only to later come across _another_ team of Oto-nins.

Then _another_. And another. And another.

You get the idea.

The point of it was, he had long since discarded the idea that he and his team were just that unlucky, and realized his team was being _deliberately targeted_.

Which hadn't been a problem at first, except that these cannon fodder were draining him of chakra, and as far as he knew, they weren't even _halfway _to the damn tower! Already, they were on their fourth and fifth Oto teams, and Sasuke was beginning to notice that beyond the fact that they were basically hunting him and his teammates, they were also ramping up the difficulty.

If only he'd managed to unlock his _goddamn_ Sharingan by now!

'_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!'_ he cried out mentally as his chakra accumulated, formed, and finally was expelled in the form of a gigantic fireball. He watched it fly through the air towards one of the two Oto teams, just as Hinata and Choji disengaged from their own targets and rejoined him.

The fireball impacted on target, but Sasuke was disheartened to see that his tiredness had made him fire the jutsu too slowly — the targeted Oto team had managed to avoid being hit, and now all six Oto genin were watching them carefully in a tense standoff.

"Tch," spat one of the two Oto team leaders. "I can't believe our master thought you'd be worth his attention. All you Leaf hippies seem good for is running away!"

Sasuke glared, and was about to retort, when he felt a hand push against his chest. Despite the overall lack of physical strength, Sasuke was surprised to see Hinata holding him back, eyes narrowed.

"Sasuke-san," she spoke softly, but no less firmly. Another marvel! "We cannot afford to let our emotions overtake us," she warned.

"Hinata's right, Sasuke," Choji agreed, breathing heavily. "We're done if they manage to split us apart."

Sasuke scowled, but assented with a nod. Ever since the exam had begun, he'd begun to see his team in a new light. Hinata — shy, stuttering, _weak_ Hinata — had somehow managed to find her determination, and was performing much better than he'd ever seen her in training sessions. Choji, for his part, had also reaped the rewards of training under Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai. While still too gentle for Sasuke's tastes, Choji had greater self-confidence and his jutsus were far more polished than they'd been prior to their first C Rank missions.

In short, the weaklings he thought would drag him down had managed to blast away his expectations. And he was grateful for it, even if he sucked at showing it.

The lead Oto nin spat again. A disgusting habit, to be sure — but then, Sasuke didn't exactly expect country bumpkins like these to have any manners to begin with — which only served to prove how crass Oto shinobi were.

"Pathetic. Is this the true might of the Uchiha?" he taunted, grinning meanly. Hinata's hand kept Sasuke in place, but his temper was flaring. "I mean, you don't even have your vaunted Sharingan, you worthless excuse for an Uchiha!"

Sasuke was just about done, ready to push back against Hinata and charge the soon-to-be dead man. Or he would have, if Hinata had not spoken up first.

"Your attempts to goad us into premature action will not succeed," she warned them, withdrawing her hand from Sasuke's chest and sliding into a Juuken combat stance. "Either fight us as shinobi, or leave us."

Sasuke eyed the pale Hyuuga heiress with amazement. Both of them probably knew that she was likely no match for the leaders of the two Oto teams, but she was still standing her ground. Choji, too, seemed to have newfound determination as he emulated Hinata and adopted _shiko-dachi_, ready to unleash his clan's _Baika no Jutsu_ at a moment's notice.

Hinata's words seemed to have the desired effect on the lead Oto-nin, who glared at her. "Bold words, little girl," he growled, starting to make new hand seals. His comrades followed suit. "Let's see if that mouth of yours screams real good once we get our hands on you!" he yelled with a lecherous grin, finally stopping his seals on Tora. "Katon! En—"

"Not today!"

Whatever the Oto-nin had attempted to use died in his mouth as a foot planted itself firmly against his left cheek, launching the man away and into a nearby tree, where his head hit the trunk first, prompting a very sickening crack.

Before anyone had any chance to understand what just happened, however, the intruder quickly looked up and cried out a name that was very familiar to Sasuke, Hinata, and Choji.

"Sakura-chan!"

Up above, they saw Sakura grin wickedly at the Oto-nin. "_Shannaro!_" she cried out as she cut a rope, prompting two large tree trunks to swing into the remaining Oto-nin. Three of the remaining five shinobi vanished from the area, their cries of surprise cut off abruptly as the trunks pulverized their bones and internal organs. The remaining two shinobi landed away, and were already frantically digging into their tool belts for weapons when they froze in mid-act.

"What the hell?!" shouted one.

"We're trapped!" shouted the other.

Sasuke blinked, everything having happened so fast he'd almost lost track of what went down. Yet, as the dust from Sakura's trap settled, he was finally able to recognize their saviour.

Naruto.

Then that meant that…

"Jeez, you two. Whatever happened to the plan?" Shikamaru complained from somewhere behind the two trapped Oto-nin. "Sakura's trap was supposed to take them all out, Naruto."

"Naruto!" Choji exclaimed, shocked, but pleased to see his friend arrive to rescue them. Despite their bluster before the Oto-nin, Choji would've been the first one to admit they were running on fumes. If Team Shikamaru — as everyone in the Genin Pool, save Naruto, called the group — hadn't shown up, they would've inevitably been screwed.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata said, just as surprised, and just as pleased. In a split second, Sasuke watched her revert from a confident warrior to a shy, blushing mess. He eyed Naruto, then glanced back at Hinata. Was the blond fool really the source of her shyness? Or was it her strength? He couldn't understand either option.

Sasuke wasn't one for acting surprised, however, so he collected himself and offered a cool look at his comrades, frowning at them.

Naruto, for his part, rolled his eyes at Shikamaru. "Oh, come on, Shika," he said dismissively. "You saw what that Oto jerk was doing. Any longer and it would've been much worse, y'know?"

There was a sigh from somewhere in the bushes. "Fine. Anyway, can someone please knock these idiots out? I'm getting pretty tired holding them in place."

"I got them," Sasuke spoke up, unwilling to let the class _dobe_ take all the glory. With efficient chops to the nape, both Oto nin went down. Moments later, Shikamaru emerged from his hiding spot, nursing an aching nape.

"Jeez. If it isn't one, it's the other," grumbled the pineapple-haired Nara heir.

"Oh, quit your bitchin'," Sakura chided as she landed nearby. She looked over at Sasuke and, despite blushing, seemed able to restrain herself from tackling him in a hug or going all emotionally haywire. "Are...are you alright, Sasuke-kun?" she asked shyly.

Never before had the fruits of working together for prolonged periods of time as part of the Genin Pool been so apparent. Due to their constant exposure to each other, and the added discipline provided by two other teachers, neither Sakura nor Ino had been allowed to...indulge in their more fangirl-ish attitudes.

Didn't mean they didn't still dream about him or write about him in their diaries, though.

"Hn," was all Sasuke had to say, before marching up to Naruto. "What are you doing here, dobe?" he asked.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched in irritation. Even though they'd all gotten used to each other, and were more or less friendly most of the time, Sasuke and Naruto still acted like they were an insult away from beating the crap out of each other. It would be cute, if they didn't almost literally spend every waking moment trying to outdo each other.

"Saving your ass, apparently," Naruto smirked.

Sasuke glared, but stayed silent. There was no denying that. The wave of Oto teams had exhausted him and his team, and he was in no position to argue otherwise. Even if he did, Choji and Hinata would likely set the record straight. It annoyed him, but kept him honest, he supposed.

He had no idea that while he thought the changes to Hinata and Choji's personalities were amazing to him, his own lack of bluster and arrogance was a major change for the rest of the Genin.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm the greatest, no _I_ am," Shikamaru said tiredly as he approached the group. "Give it a rest. S'up, Choji?" he greeted his portly friend, who smiled and nodded back. "How's the team treating you?"

"Hey Shika," Choji replied. "We've been doing okay. Kinda hungry, though."

"Hinata, I'm glad to see you're okay," Sakura told her female counterpart with a grin. The Hyuuga heiress smiled and bowed.

"Thank you for the help, Sakura-san," Hinata thanked humbly. "I'm afraid we were at our limits when you arrived."

"Heh!" Naruto said, grinning and rubbing his nape. "These pansies were nothing!"

Sakura whacked him upside the head. "Idiot!" she chided, ignoring how he was now making an exaggerated show of being hurt. "If they hadn't been distracted, there's no way that would've gone so well!"

"Did they get your scroll?" Shikamaru asked Sasuke, getting right back to the main topic at hand. Sasuke shook his head, producing both of his team's scrolls. Any other team, and Sasuke would've suspected them of trying something. However, he had Sasuke Fangirl #01, the honorable, but dumb dobe; and the laziest Genin of all time to deal with...none of whom had it in them to do something that underhanded to their friends.

Naruto's eyes bugged out. "WHAT?!" he yelled, before turning away in disgust and throwing up his arms. "And we haven't found a single Earth Scroll in all this time!"

Sasuke felt a little more accomplished now. At the very least, he'd trumped Naruto in this stage of the Exams. "We got it off one of the older Konoha teams," he explained.

Shikamaru frowned, but said nothing else. Truth be told, none of their generation's Genin had had much interaction with the older Genin teams still in circulation. As such, beyond the fact that they were all Konoha shinobi, there wasn't much inter-team friendship to be had.

And let's face it: if the older Genin couldn't handle a newbie team, they weren't ready for the rank of Chuunin.

"Sakura, Naruto, check the Oto teams for scrolls," Shikamaru ordered. He'd seen the way Sasuke and Choji were eyeing Naruto, and didn't trust the blond to give a level-headed and comprehensible summary of their situation.

Left with Team Sasuke, Shikamaru sighed as he preempted Sasuke's troublesome line of questioning. "Naruto's been holding out on us," he said.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, while Choji blinked in surprise. Only Hinata seemed unsurprised by the news, instead letting out a sigh of relief.

"Explain," Sasuke demanded.

Shikamaru frowned at him. He didn't have to be quite so rude about it. "He's got...family circumstances," he decided not to reveal everything Naruto had told him, out of respect for his friend's privacy. "As a result, he had to hide his skills for the benefit of outsiders. More than that: he had to convince them he wasn't acting, so he had to fool us too."

"Umm...Shika?" Choji spoke up, glancing over at Naruto, who'd just gotten beaned by Sakura for some inaudible comment he'd said. "We've all known Naruto most of our lives. He's not that subtle."

Shikamaru glanced back at Naruto, debating whether or not to proceed, before deciding that, in the interest of his upcoming proposal, he had to come clean. He raised a hand and pointed at his wrist. "He's been sealed," he said. "By my calculation, he's got 10 hours before it goes away. In that time, he's got less than a tenth of his chakra available to him."

Hinata's eyes widened, having now connected _all_ the dots regarding Naruto's strange behaviour. His chakra being sealed _completely_ explained his behaviour during the First Test, as well as the fact that his hero rescue had involved only Taijutsu, backed up by a trap from Sakura. If he'd been in prime condition, like in Nami, she had no doubts he would've flooded the Oto nin with Kage Bunshin or tried some technique on them.

Sasuke, for his part, was a little more disbelieving. He couldn't fathom what sort of reason a person could have to _willingly_ have their chakra sealed so close to the Chunin Exams. _Especially_ when that person was Uzumaki Naruto, who basically _lived_ to prove to others his worth.

Choji, of course, had the least trouble believing Shikamaru. His oldest friend in the world wouldn't lie about something like this, and Choji had always liked Naruto, whenever he wasn't being a jerk, so he had no trouble revisiting his judgment of Naruto's skills. If Shikamaru said it was so, then it was.

"OH COME ON! ANOTHER HEAVEN SCROLL?!" roared Naruto in disappointment behind them. Shikamaru ignored it, having gotten used to Naruto's utter lack of emotional self-restraint.

"What's your plan now?" Shikamaru asked, hoping they were done with this troublesome topic.

Sasuke frowned. "We were headed to the tower when the Oto-nins ambushed us. I guess we'll keep going," he said, putting away his team's scrolls. Hinata seemed troubled by his announcement, torn between glancing at either him or Naruto, but Sasuke paid her no heed. Whatever her feelings for the dobe were, they were being tested right now, and he was damned if people looked down on him over sentimentalism.

Shikamaru nodded, having expected that answer. Behind him, he could still hear Naruto and Sakura rifling through the Oto-nins' pockets, constantly arguing as they did so. Troublesome.

"I think we should team up," he said bluntly. Sasuke's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Why?" he asked suspiciously. "We're done. There's nothing for us here."

"Reinforcements," Shikamaru said simply, pointing at them. Looking down, Sasuke could see what Shikamaru meant. Neither him nor his teammates were in any condition to venture off alone, with dozens of potential enemy teams waiting to ambush the next team to pass them by. Having Shikamaru and his team around would allow them to take a breather while they recuperated, and improved their odds of success considerably.

"Ano…" Hinata spoke up, having reverted to her shy persona. Seriously, was Naruto some sort of emotional switch to her? "I...I think Shikamaru-kun's idea is a good one…"

"We're all a bit tired, Sasuke," Choji added in agreement. "We could use the help."

Sasuke closed his eyes and frowned, making a show of thinking on it. Truth was, he was ready to agree already. As much as he liked to boast he could kick Kiba and Naruto's asses any day of the week, Sasuke knew his own limits better than anyone else — and he was fast approaching them. If more Oto teams came out of the woodwork while his team was alone, they would likely be unable to last very long before being overwhelmed.

"Fine," he agreed at length, opening his eyes and uncrossing his arms. "We work together, but _only_ on the way to the Tower," he added. "If we come across an Earth scroll before we get there, it's yours. If not, you're on your own."

"Sasuke!" Choji protested. Even Hinata seemed troubled.

"Deal," Shikamaru said immediately. Honestly, he'd expected worse terms, and while he did acknowledge that he had the upper ground in this negotiation, he was also desperate for reinforcements to buff up his team while Naruto's seal wore out. "But we start tomorrow. After a night's rest."

Sasuke frowned, but then slowly nodded. Extending hands, both Genin leaders shook on it.

And thus was Team Sasuke-Shikamaru born.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Meanwhile, at a local Konoha inn…<strong>_

Shuko frowned as she sat in the lotus position in the middle of the room.

Beneath her, occupying most of the room's floor, was a rather large map rendering of the village of Konoha. Every inch of detail her clansmen had managed to obtain as they'd subtly scouted out the village had gone into this map, and at long last, Shuko was ready to put it to use.

"Are the seals ready?" she asked as she brought her hands together before her, palms pointing up. "Have the chakra barriers been set up?"

Four clansmen knelt at the corners of the map, each of them in the middle of a circular pattern of Fuinjutsu formulas.

"Yes, Shuko-sama," they acknowledged in unison.

Shuko nodded. Good; that way, the Konoha-nin wouldn't know what they were doing. "Then let us proceed," she said imperiously. Of the few things in life that warranted her to drop the childish facade, sealing was one of them. One could not afford to be careless when it came to Fuinjutsu, as even the slightest deviation in sealing formulas could potentially be catastrophic.

With lightning speed and frightful precision, Shuko's hands went through hand seal after hand seal, until she finished on an unfamiliar seal — one invented solely for the purpose of the Uzumaki Clan's Fuin techniques.

"Uzumaki Fuinjutsu," she intoned, her eyes closed as the map beneath her began to glow. A circle of Fuin characters formed around her as the technique activated. "_Chied__ō__!_"

From her sealing circle, four lines of characters shot out, one towards each corner. Once the lines of characters connected with the sealing circles of Shuko's clansmen, the map's glow intensified, and she watched as the map began to sprout dozens, then hundreds of tiny lights.

Her very own tactical map of Konoha.

Shuko smiled in self-satisfaction at the sight of her work. Keisuke and Heiyako were probably too stubbornly honorable to ever do something like this, but Shuko hadn't managed to keep her cell intact for decades by winging it through life. All survival rested upon strategy; whether that strategy was the product of forethought or on-the-fly planning was irrelevant — strategy was key to all victory.

And to concoct a successful strategy, one needed to have information.

And now she had that.

That said, getting it to work had been a bitch and a half. Giving the map a cursory overview, she noted that only the village's shinobi population — or at the very least, those with detectable chakra levels — appeared as lights. Any civilian or shinobi suppressing their chakra, however, would not appear — so its usefulness was limited.

Then again, considering this was the product of about two days of scouting and seal-placing, Shuko considered the map fine work indeed.

"Shuko-sama," one of her clansmen spoke up from his kneeling position. "May I speak freely?"

Shuko slowly dropped her hands to her thighs and rested them there, glancing over at her subordinate. "Go ahead."

The man seemingly composed himself, swallowing nervously and all, before speaking. "Was...Was it wise to antagonize Keisuke-sama and Heiyako-sama?"

Shuko's eyes narrowed, prompting a nervous swallow from the man, but she quickly disengaged her eye contact in favor of the map before her.

The man got the message. "I apologize, Shuko-sama," he said quickly.

"You may leave," she said dismissively to her clansmen, who didn't need to be told twice.

Left alone, Shuko sighed as she tiredly raised a hand to her head. She knew she shouldn't have acted that way towards her clansman, especially since, objectively speaking, he had valid concerns. It was one thing to refuse Keisuke and Heiyako's overtures. It was another to deliberately antagonize them. Despite their faults, Shuko was well aware of their virtues, and she could still remember the days when they were all friends, back in Uzushiogakure.

"_Baa-chan!_"

Shuko's head shot up, eyes wide. Where had that voice come from?

She went for the window, and looked out into the streets. Families were coming and going, all out and about as usual. She could see children laughing and playing, parents scolding and talking...normal lives playing out.

Shuko sighed, raising a hand to her head again as she sat down on her futon. She was hearing ghosts again. Seeing Keisuke and Heiyako had dredged up bad memories — memories she had buried deep down just to survive. The last time she had allowed her ghosts to rule her life, she had nearly...

No.

That was another time. When she had lost all guidance.

She heard someone knocking at the door. "Shuko-sama!" Toshiko called out on the other side of the door. "I'm back with the sweets you asked for!"

Shuko smiled sadly to herself before shaking her head furiously and smacking her cheeks. She had to snap out of her funk, no matter how desperately her buried memories tried to come back. Toshiko and her clansmen were the one light she had left in the world, and she didn't want _those_ eyes to haunt her life ever again.

"Coming!" she cried out happily as she skipped over to the door, opening it for Toshiko. The younger woman was saddled with every sort of Konoha-specialty candy, and looked about as excited as Shuko was about eating them. Both women had stars in their eyes as they laid out the candy on Shuko's futon, wondering how they'd go through it all.

"I want that one!" Shuko demanded, pointing at what appeared to be a red-colored, gelatinous, string-like confection.

Toshiko pouted, then pointed at what appeared to be chocolate balls. "Then I get those!"

Shuko made a show of gasping in outrage. "No fair! You know I love chocolate!"

"But you got the red string thing!"

"But I _love_ chocolate!" she insisted petulantly.

"Well, so do I!"

And so it went for a good twenty minutes, until they had split every candy Toshiko had brought. In the end, they decided to split the chocolates — an outcome Shuko had already predicted.

"Ne, Shuko-sama."

Shuko, who was resting her head on Toshiko's shoulder, remained with her eyes closed, even as she enjoyed the feeling of Toshiko stroking her hair.

"This is a nice village, y'know?"

Shuko said nothing, her eyes drawn to the map she and her clansmen had created. Toshiko only knew as much as they had — only what Shuko had _allowed_ them to know. They thought it was merely another addition to the clan's increasingly large collection of maps, stored back home at their hidden clan compound.

If she'd known the truth, Shuko imagined Toshiko would have protested vociferously.

"Eh," Shuko responded at length. "It's alright."

"It's so peaceful…" Toshiko mused as she looked out the window. "I can see why the others love it here…"

Shuko remained quiet. She understood as well. Unfortunately, there were other considerations that overrode such sentimentalism.

Vengeance, for instance.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The next day, Uzumaki Compound…<strong>_

_**6 hours until the Chakra Restraining Seal Dissipates...**_

"Keisuke-sama!"

Keisuke looked up from his calligraphy as Akemi appeared via Shunshin and knelt before him, looking flustered.

"What is it, Akemi-chan?" he asked gravely. Ever since Shuko's distressing visit, the entire clan had been on the verge of a panic attack as they realized their beloved Clan Head candidate was out there in the Forest of Death with virtually none of his chakra at his disposal. It made Keisuke wonder just how deep Shuko's hatred of the villages went that she would willfully endanger the life of a child.

"Hokage-sama has come to the compound!" she reported urgently. Keisuke's brush halted mid-stroke as his eyes widened. Of all the things he hadn't expected to take place, Hiruzen making a personal visit to the Uzumaki compound was one of them. _Especially_ given the Go-Kage Summit currently underway. "He requests a meeting with you!"

A nice way of saying he wanted to meet. Right now. No objections.

Keisuke felt beads of sweat run down his head as he considered what might be on the Hokage's mind. Had Shuko's presence been leaked? Had she somehow done something which had attracted the Hokage's ire? It would be just like her to cause mischief when it suited him least! He couldn't discard the idea that this was her way of forcing the Uzumaki back into hiding, for whatever grand scheme she had in mind.

And there was no question that she _had_ a grand strategy at work here. Shuko was many things, but stupidly reckless was not one of them.

Either way, it was time to face the music. "Show him in," he ordered. "And tell Heiyako—"

Akemi bowed her head even deeper. "Apologies, Keisuke-sama! Hokage-sama was explicit that he only wanted to see _you_!"

Keisuke wondered why, but had no choice other than to comply. With a nod, Akemi was gone, leaving Keisuke to his thoughts. Setting aside his brush and calligraphy kit, Keisuke ran every scenario he could think of in his mind, but found no clear winner as to the most likely topic of this conversation.

Before he could even formulate a decent answer to his own query, however, there was a sharp knock at the sliding door. Composing himself, Keisuke took a seat in the middle of the room — _off_ his dais — and cleared his throat.

"Please, enter," he said firmly.

The door slid, revealing Hiruzen in his Hokage robes, minus the hat. His pipe was missing as well, and his gaze was unreadable.

"Keisuke," he greeted pleasantly. "I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but I was wondering if we could have a chat, just between us old men."

There was no question in that request. Keisuke bowed his head low, as befitting his lower rank. "Of course, Hokage-sama," he said humbly. "We are honored to have you in our humble compound. Akemi."

The redheaded girl appeared nearby, already kneeling. "Hai, Choro-sama."

Without even raising his head, Keisuke nodded. "Please obtain some tea for Hokage-sama and I," he ordered politely.

"Hai, Choro-sama."

Vanishing in silence, she left Keisuke and Hiruzen alone in Keisuke's calligraphy room. The Hokage looked around, taking note of Keisuke's work, as he approached the Uzumaki Elder and finally sat down.

"You have excellent brushwork, Keisuke," Hiruzen observed as he sat down. "I myself try to set aside some time every now and then to practice my brush strokes."

"You honor me with your approval, Hokage-sama," Keisuke said in deference. "However, may I ask…?"

Hiruzen brought out his pipe from the folds of his robes and lit it up with a simple fire jutsu. "Why I've decided to come see you personally today, of all days?" he finished for Keisuke. The Uzumaki Elder responded by way of a nod. "Why do you think, Keisuke?"

There was a pause. "The summit is not going well?" he ventured. He didn't dare to think that the Hokage had found out about Shuko, or the problems with Naruto's seal.

Hiruzen chuckled. "That's an understatement if I've ever heard one," he said with a weak grin. "I'm afraid this business of Nami has ruffled a bit more feathers than we'd imagined, Keisuke," he said seriously. "And the fact that not one, but _three_ Uzumaki clansmen were at the heart of the affair…"

Keisuke didn't need Shuko around to connect the dots. "The other villages believe we are attempting to regain our homeland. Reestablish Uzushiogakure."

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "Are you?"

Keisuke sighed as he raised his head at long last and faced the Hokage plainly. There was no way the man would believe him if he could not meet his eyes as he gave his answer. "No, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen puffed his pipe. "But you've thought about it."

Keisuke chuckled. "A chance to regain the homeland we'd lost?" he mused. "Wouldn't you?"

Hiruzen cracked a small smile. "I suppose I would, yes."

Keisuke nodded. "But we've long since come to terms with the fact that we cannot do this, Hokage-sama," he explained. "All of us wish to return to the holy lands of Uzu...but we also know we would not survive the wrath of our enemies, who would hardly wait for us to rebuild our village to strike," he observed. "Konoha has been...good to us," he said carefully. Truth be told, there were still some minor incidents here and there, mostly due to their relationship to Naruto and his status as the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. "And the younger generations have started to put down roots. I do not wish to tear them away from a chance at a normal, happy life."

The way the Hokage stared at him, Keisuke felt his entire being was analyzed by the man some called the Professor. The man's ability to analyze jutsu were legendary, and Keisuke briefly wondered how much of that ability translated into analyzing people's worth.

"I believe you are being honest with me, Keisuke," the Hokage said at length. "And this is something I appreciate."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen raised a halting hand. "However, my appreciation is irrelevant, in this case," he said.

Keisuke blinked, feeling a chill run down his spine. "Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen puffed at his pipe again. Keisuke now identified it as a sign of stress. "I'm afraid the Uzumaki Clan has burst out onto the world stage rather too abruptly and violently," he said. "The other Kage have made their...displeasure at your return rather clear. They are demanding...well, let's call them concessions."

Keisuke didn't like the sound of that. "Concessions, Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen sighed, breathing out some smoke. "Hostages, guarantees, restrictions," he clarified.

That chill Keisuke felt became outrage. "They want to steal my clansmen? Treat us like criminals?" he asked softly, but dangerously.

"They claim this is the best way to guarantee that the dreaded Uzumaki fuinjutsu isn't turned against their villages," Hiruzen explained before tapping his pipe against his knee, unclogging it. "I have not yet given them an reply."

"But you have one in mind?" Keisuke asked, dreading the answer.

"I have many in mind," Hiruzen said diplomatically. "What should worry you, Keisuke, is not my intention, but the feelings of this village you wish to remain in," he pointed out.

"Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen set aside his pipe, fixing Keisuke with a stern glare. "We have liked to pretend otherwise, but we stand at the brink of a major international crisis," he said. "Your clansmen's actions in Nami have destabilized the status quo, and now not only the Shinobi Villages, but the Daimyos as well have all weighed in on the crisis. Our Daimyo, our _king_, has made it clear he wishes to absorb Nami into our sphere of influence. As a result, the Daimyo of Mizu has expressed his desire to retain control of Nami via its puppet Daimyo." He paused. "_Armies_ are being drafted, Keisuke."

The Hokage didn't need to explain the gravity of such a situation to Keisuke. While the Daimyos had basically allowed the Shinobi to act as their unofficial armies in recent times, it was always under the understanding that the Daimyos could in fact raise their own forces independently of the shinobi. However, such a thing had not been seen since the _Sengoku Jidai_.

"When word of the situation gets out, and we both know it will likely get out," the Hokage pressed on, "the villagers will need someone to blame for this return to hostilities. Those scapegoats will likely be you and your clan."

There was deafening silence in the room as Keisuke processed this warning — for he knew it was just that: a warning. Not a threat, as some might have suspected, but a true warning. He knew the Hokage had no reason to divulge what he just had, and was torn between being thankful and being outraged at the position his clan had been reduced to.

It also made another decision for him far easier. If this was the state of things, then bringing up Naruto's present circumstances would have been most unwise. Like adding fuel to a raging fire.

Hiruzen stared at him analytically before sighing. "But well…" he said, getting to his feet, prompting Keisuke to follow suit. "The summit is still ongoing. Things may yet change. I get the feeling my fellow Kage want to stick around for the Third Test, at the very least. Perhaps, in that time, we can convince them to change their minds."

Keisuke nodded slowly and bowed at the waist. "Thank you for your counsel, Hokage-sama," he said sincerely.

The Hokage stared down at the diminutive man for a moment before smiling. "I am fond of you and your clan, Keisuke," he said. "You have brought new life into this village, and you have returned Naruto's happiness. For those two things alone, _I_ am grateful to the Uzumaki Clan. Let us see if we can't solve this predicament we're in, for the benefit of all, eh?"

Keisuke nodded slowly, bowing once again at the waist. The Hokage nodded and left.

The promised tea never arrived.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Post-AN: <strong>Alright! See you next time!_

_Thanks for the help, guys! Got me a cover image after all! :)_


	25. Chuunin Exam Arc: The Second Test Pt 2

_**AN: **Yes, still alive. Yes, still writing. No, not abandoned. I just happened to be on vacation, and inspiration seems to run dry when I'm not at work. :P_

_Anyway, change of plans: Second Test will end at Part 3. I really tried to make it end in 2 parts, but it just became an incoherent mess. So, to avoid that, I'm spreading it out into another part as well._

_Happy reading!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Training Grounds 44 "The Forest of Death," Chakra Restraining Seal Dissipates in 4 hours…<strong>_

_WHERE WERE THE EARTH SCROLLS?!_

Naruto raged internally as he and the rest of Team Shikamaru-Sasuke continued their trek towards the tower. Along the way, they had come across more teams, and dispatched them one after another, and Naruto was _still_ finding it hard to believe that they had yet to come across a _single_ Earth Scroll in that time.

"This is either the most amazing case of bad luck I've ever seen, or someone's deliberately messing with us," Shikamaru had summed it up quite nicely after the fourth team they'd encountered that day.

Naruto had to agree. As bipolar as his luck tended to be, he had _never_ lived through such improbable results in his life! There was just no sense in every Earth Scroll in the Forest to have vanished. Even worse, they had seen the enemy shinobi acting much in the same way as his team was — desperate and confused. No one they came across seemed to understand why there was such a preponderance of Heaven Scrolls; Shikamaru, Sakura, Hinata, and Sasuke had even discussed the possibility that the Exam proctors had slanted the amount of scrolls to reduce the amount of teams that could move on to the next round.

Shikamaru, however, had shot that scenario down after the sixth team they'd come across.

"Even if Konoha reduced the number of one type of scroll," he'd explained, " we firstly don't know if it really is the Earth Scroll they chose to reduce; and secondly, we have no way of proving it. In addition, between our two teams, we've tagged at least 22 teams, not counting ourselves, possessing the Heaven Scrolls, which is already over 50%. Yet, within an hour of the test beginning, Sasuke's team was able to come across an Earth Scroll. I won't say the odds aren't stacked," he'd mused, "but it seems likely that this is not a deliberate plan by our village."

So, of course, that left the probability that they were being messed with. The problem was, all that did was piss them off, but without a clear target to attack, all they could do was stew in silent (or not so silent, in Naruto's case) rage while they desperately tried to acquire an Earth Scroll.

It didn't help that Naruto had felt this irritating ringing sound in his ears ever since this second day had begun. He cuffed at his ears in a desperate attempt to get the tinnitus to go away, but as usual that only provided temporary relief.

"Oi, Shika!" he called out to his friend up front. He landed roughly on the nearest tree branch.

Shikamaru and the rest of the combined team did the same. The pineapple-haired boy sighed as he straightened up. "What, Naruto?" he asked irritably. "We're almost at the tower."

"Aren't you guys hearing that?" the blonde growled as he again cuffed at his ears. "That ringing sound!"

Shikamaru and Sasuke narrowed their eyes, while Sakura glared in irritation, and Choji and Hinata looked on in concern. "What sound, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked carefully. He hadn't heard a thing, but by now he knew better than to doubt Naruto's word. Prankster or not, the boy was all business when it came to missions.

...Sort of.

"That...ringing...sound!" Naruto growled with increasing intensity as he began to hear it in his other ear now. "Damnit!"

"Oi, Naruto!" Sakura called out. "Knock it off, already, will ya?"

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata exclaimed softly as she watched the blonde fall to one knee.

"Oi! Naruto!" Choji cried out as he jumped to aid his temporary teammate.

Shikamaru and Sasuke remained motionless, though there was concern written all over the former's face. The two level-headed shinobi exchanged glances.

"Shikamaru…" Sasuke began.

Shikamaru nodded. "I was wondering if they'd try again," he mused. And clearly, they'd decided to get rid of the only member they hadn't seen use any jutsus, probably assuming he was the weakest. It made sense; with their weakest member incapacitated, they, as "Konoha hippies," would probably try and help him out. That would give the ambushers, whoever they were, enough time to set up their formations and get ready to drop on them.

"Hinata!" Shikamaru called out, snapping the Hyuuga heiress from the mild panic attack she was undergoing at seeing her crush in such distress. The pale-eyed girl turned to her friend, who remained stoic in the face of Naruto's pain. "I need you to scout out the area. Quickly!" he snapped, seeing her glance over at Naruto.

Any other day, he might've considered her crush on Naruto cute and troublesome, but today, right now, it was just troublesome. The best she could do to help the blonde out right now was acting like a shinobi, and getting ready for the imminent trap that was about to close on them.

"Byakugan!" she mumbled, her veins bulging out from around her pale eyes. Almost immediately, she reeled from what she was seeing. "8...12...15 enemy shinobi, all around us!" she reported, stunned.

How had they managed to sneak up on them?!

Shikamaru cursed their luck. Or rather, Sasuke's luck. Eyeing the raven-haired boy, the resident boy genius knew that neither Choji nor Hinata made a sensible target for deliberate attacks — a theory vindicated by careful questioning of the aforementioned duo. Hinata and Choji had attested that, during their previous encounters with the Oto-nin, the enemy ninja had been _especially_ attentive to Sasuke.

"Any idea what they want with you?" he casually asked his co-leader.

Sasuke grunted. "Beats me," he then said. "But if they're coming at us with 5 teams worth of Genins, I must've pissed off _someone_ in Oto..."

Shikamaru sighed, still keeping Naruto's pained figure in his peripheral vision. He knew his friend's pain was no joke, but he couldn't afford to slip up at this critical juncture. Whatever these enemy shinobi were after, he had to make sure that his friends made it out alive from the encounter.

"Come out!" he shouted suddenly, surprising his teammates. "We know you're out there!"

There was a brief moment of relative silence, broken only by Naruto's whimpering as he cradled his ears, before three figures jumped into view. Two boys, a girl. All wearing Oto forehead protectors.

None of them were making a single sound, meaning they weren't the ones responsible for Naruto's pain.

"We're going to have to make a break for it," Shikamaru mumbled to Sasuke, who shot him a sharp look. "Don't give me that!" he hissed. "We're outnumbered, surrounded, and Naruto's out for the count. We need to regroup!"

Sasuke seemed of a mind to disagree, but was robbed of the chance by the leader of the three Oto nin chuckling.

"Retreat?" he asked through his facial bandages. Honestly, he looked like someone who'd broken out of the emergency care ward at the hospital. "What makes you think you'll get the chance?"

Shikamaru growled. Of _course_ Oto-nin would have exceptional hearing. Why _wouldn't_ they?

The lanky boy next to the leader snickered. "Looks like Tayuya-senpai's technique did the trick," he observed as the Oto-nin watched Naruto writhe. "I'm a bit disappointed at how weak these Konoha trash are, though."

The Konoha teams became a bit more alert. Tayuya — either that was these Oto-nin's supervisor Jonin, or someone else in the exam who had techniques to watch out for.

"Shut it, Zaku," the Oto leader snapped. "We have our orders. Kill the Uchiha. Leave no witnesses."

The lanky kid called Zaku grinned, a crazed look passing over his features as he swung up his arms, which Shikamaru and Sasuke only belatedly realized had some form of opening at the palms.

Shikamaru's eyes widened. He had a fair guess at what was about to happen, and given his posture and movements, he was aiming at…

"Hinata! Sakura! Get out of the way!" Sasuke called out.

Fortunately, their improved training paid off, and both kunoichi were able to jump away as the lanky kid swung forward his arms. "_Zankūha!_" the Oto-nin roared, unleashing twin blasts of _something_ at where the two girls had been standing.

The branches were completely pulverized.

"Holy crap!" Choji swore as he jumped back to Shikamaru with Naruto in tow. Both girls had come out unscathed, but the Konoha nin were all somewhat unnerved by the destructive potential of the technique.

"Stay calm!" Shikamaru called out. "He's obviously mid to long range!" he pointed out before turning to Sasuke. "Sasuke, can you deal with him?" he asked.

The Uchiha prodigy glanced at his co-leader and nodded. "I thought you wanted us to run?" he asked wryly as he brought out a kunai.

Shikamaru glowered at the enemy shinobi, who seemed completely at ease with the fact that the two Konoha kunoichi had avoided their opening salvo. "I still do," he confessed. "But we're obviously going to need to fight our way out."

"And since we know what's in front of us…" Sasuke observed.

Shikamaru nodded. "We charge straight forward."

"My kind of plan…" came a tired and pained voice from nearby.

Both teens turned to see Naruto holding himself with Choji's help. "You're not leaving me out of this fight," he grumbled. "I can help the _teme_…"

Shikamaru shook his head. "You're too out of it, and your seal is in the way. You just get ready to move the moment we have an opening," he ordered.

Naruto glowered, still panting lightly as he recovered from the stinging assault on his ears. "I said I'm fine."

"Hinata!" Shikamaru barked. In an instant, the pale-eyed Hyuuga arrived and, with just a moment's hesitation, knocked Naruto out with a soft touch to his nape. Shikamaru nodded. "Thanks."

Hinata merely looked away as she held up her unconscious crush. As much as it had pained her to knock him out, she also didn't want him to get hurt fighting while crippled.

"Are you done?" the leader of the Oto teams asked, bored. Both of his teammates were overtly smirking, but this one just seemed bored to tears.

Shikamaru frowned at the Oto Genin, feeling as though he was being way too confident, despite their overwhelming numbers. Yes, Shikamaru and his friends were outnumbered practically 3 to 1, but at the same time, they had already proven to be superior to most of the Oto nin that had come after them.

So why were they so confident now?

"Sakura," he took charge of the situation. "You take Naruto and bolt at the first opening we manage. Sasuke, you've got the guy who's blowing wind out of his hands. Hinata, you and Choji deal with mummy-face. I'll deal with the girl. The first chance we get, we run after Sakura and Naruto. Understood?"

Sasuke snorted as he readied his kunai. "Figures you'd go for the weak link."

Shikamaru grinned weakly. "What can I say? She seems the least troublesome."

"I will open a way for you!" Hinata mumbled as she activated her Byakugan, reluctantly letting Sakura take Naruto from her. "Please protect Naruto-kun!"

Sakura gave her a friendly grin. "Leave it to me!"

Choji seemed nervous, shifting from foot to foot as he glanced at the Oto-nin. "They look strong, and I'm kinda hungry...but…" he glanced at Shikamaru, who remained cool despite the odds. He sighed, shook his head, slapped his cheeks, and steeled himself. "Ah, screw it. Let's do this!"

Shikamaru smiled in what he hoped was a confident fashion as he brought out a kunai and fixed his eyes on the dark-haired girl that was his target. If he was reading the Oto leader right, then the rest of the ambushers weren't there to swarm him and his friends, but rather to prevent them from escaping. Yet, given that Hinata had not noticed any trying to plug the hole left by the only overt Oto team, it meant they were confident that the Konoha Genin would be unable to break through.

Well, time to take a page out of Naruto's book…

...And shatter all expectations.

* * *

><p>"She did <em>what<em>?!"

Kimiko didn't even react as Kakashi slammed a hand next to her head, leaning forward and glaring at her dangerously. The redhead had taken an incredible risk by disobeying her Elders and going straight to Kakashi with this information...but, to paraphrase the future Clan Head, it was the right thing to do.

"The plan was to have the seal collapse right before the first test," Kimiko explained, not even a little bothered by the healthy amount of killing intent Kakashi was probably unconsciously letting out. "Naruto-sama agreed to it."

"Naruto would agree to _anything_ if he thought it made you guys happy!" Kakashi snapped. "This was reckless beyond belief!"

Kimiko glowered at him. "The circumstances were dire. We had no choice if we wanted to bring Shuko-sama to Konoha," she defended her clan. She leaned to the side as Kakashi turned his head away in disgust, hoping to maintain eye contact to reinforce her sincerity. "We had to!"

"Why?" he demanded. Fortunately, they were at his house, and no one had seem Kimiko enter. Between the privacy of his home and the many seals he'd purchased to have it soundproofed, there was no risk of being interrupted due to the noise they were making. "So your clan can just add a couple dozen more clansmen to your numbers?"

Kimiko laughed bitterly. "Try three hundred."

Kakashi was stunned. "_What_?"

Kimiko sighed as she raised a hand and palmed her face in frustration. "Kakashi, it's more than just the numbers," she tried to explain. Honestly, if the old her had ever come across a clansman so openly discussing clan matters, Kimiko had no doubts she would've killed everyone involved. "Shuko-sama...is a genius. No ifs, ands, or buts."

Kakashi was still reeling from the understanding that there were at least _three hundred more_ Uzumaki clansmen out in the wild, and took a few steps back until he collapsed onto a chair. "A...genius?" he managed to ask, shaking his head to get the shock out of his system.

Kimiko crossed her arms under her bust and sighed. "She's the reason there even _is_ an Uzumaki clan left in this world," she explained. "Keisuke-sama and Heiyako-sama are both good leaders, but Shuko-sama is a _strategist_. The only reason we didn't all die at Uzushiogakure was thanks to her."

She stared at him, still hunched over and trying to absorb the fact that his student, _his master's son_, was out in the Forest of Death with maybe a tenth of his chakra available to him. And that there were _at least_ 300 more Uzumaki somewhere in the Elemental Continent. She closed her eyes as she pondered her next words. "When...Uzu's capital fell, Shuko-sama had been sick. Very sick. I wasn't around back then, but according to the stories, she was at death's door. That she recovered at all to coordinate the defense of our village was a miracle in itself."

"According to Keisuke-sama, the general consensus among the other Elders had been to make a final stand, hoping against hope that our allies would show up in time. However, Shuko-sama was the one who perceived that we could not win, even if Konoha committed its entire strength towards relieving the siege," Kimiko continued, reminiscing back to the old stories the adults used to tell every now and then. "So she ordered our evacuation in small groups. That's how we managed to slip out so many Uzumaki and avoided complete extermination."

"You're telling me...this woman, Shuko…" Kakashi slowly said as he lifted his head to look at Kimiko. It spoke to his level of consternation that he didn't even bother to register the fact that, with her arms crossed under her bust, Kimiko's assets were far more pronounced. "...the same woman who has now made it ridiculously easy to kill the _one boy_ who can bring your family back together...is the _reason_ you are all alive?"

Kimiko gave him a weak grin. "Ridiculous, right?"

"That barely covers it," Kakashi grumbled as he rubbed his temple. A moment of silence passed between the two. "We need to go to Hokage-sama with this," he said with finality.

"We can't."

Kakashi glared at her with his one good eye. "We _have_ to," he insisted.

"We. _Can't_." Kimiko insisted right back.

"And why the hell not?!" Kakashi demanded, mentally wondering why he was even listening to this young woman in the first place. As a Jounin teacher of Konoha, he had the right to present this grievance to the Hokage without needing anyone else's prior approval. It was his team; they were _his_ soldiers!

"Because, like it or not, Naruto-sama would be the one hurt the most," she pointed out, thankful Maki and Hikari had explained things to her. Keisuke had explained things as well, but like most Elders, he was fond of overcomplicating things. Hikari and Maki, being used to dealing with idiocy the likes of Natsu and Takeshi, were far more succinct.

Silence.

"Explain."

Kimiko sighed. "If you go right now and complain to the Hokage, then _maybe_ he stops the Chuunin Exams," she conceded. "After all, some third party's unduly interfered in the proceedings and may have attacked the resident Jinchuuriki."

Kakashi nodded. So far, she'd expressed his side of things.

She raised a finger then. "But," she continued, "what if he does? This Exam, as I understand it, is exceptional in that it has managed to draw participants from Iwa, Kiri, Oto, and Kumo, beyond the usual suspects from Kusa, Taki, and Suna."

Kakashi's nod this time was slower. He had a feeling he knew where she was going with this...and if so, he didn't much like it.

"The foreign Kage are here because of what we did in Nami," she pointed out. "Justifiably, they fear my clan has returned to wreak vengeance on those who nearly exterminated us. But more importantly, they're probably here to gauge our strength...to see if we're as much a threat as our adventure in Nami suggests."

Kakashi was silent; he could do the rest of the math himself. If Naruto, an Uzumaki, was at the core of a Chuunin Exam scandal that drew the whole process to a halt, then questions would arise regarding his deceased master's only child. Questions which could, in theory, lead to the discovery of his Jinchuuriki status, the fact that he is Minato Namikaze's only son, or the fact that he is the nominal head of the Uzumaki clan...or all three.

And if Kumo, Iwa, and Kiri found out that not only had three Uzumaki been involved in the Nami incident, but that one of them was the future Clan Head, who at the same time was a Jinchuuriki _and_ the sole heir of the Yellow Flash, while at the same time having the ear of the Hokage…

Well, it would certainly help validate some (false) assumptions.

"Shuko-sama once told me," Kimiko suddenly said, having watched Kakashi think things through on his own, "That information doesn't have to be true to have power; it just needs to _sound_ true."

Kakashi nodded. There was deeper wisdom in those words than seemed apparent. Even if the Hokage denied every accusation till kingdom come, the other Great Villages were not obliged to believe a word he said. Even if the Uzumaki were put under sanctions for their actions in Nami — and himself as well by association — the other Villages would have no reason not to believe the sanctions temporary or lenient.

In short, unless he believed the Hokage was willing to deliver the heads of the entire Uzumaki clan to the other villages to keep the peace, then rocking the boat here by revealing Uzumaki Shuko's actions would be idiotic at best. Suicidal at worst, since there was no guarantee the Hokage wouldn't value the Uzumaki's military contributions enough to silence any dissenter.

Kakashi placed his face in his palms and leaned down, groaning in frustration. This was the most stressed out he'd been in _years_...and he'd served in the fucking _ANBU_.

"You Uzumaki really know how to screw the pooch good, don't you?" he mused bitterly.

"We didn't think Shuko-sama would target the Clan Head," Kimiko said defensively. "Or that she'd be willing to stir trouble among the other villages just to screw Konoha over."

Kakashi peeked over his hands at her. "And you're _positive_ Shuko had a hand in that?" he asked. Honestly, the way Kimiko spoke of her, Shuko sounded like a Buddha of Military Strategy.

"It's the only explanation that makes sense," Kimiko opined.

Kakashi groaned. "What does she _want_, Kimiko?" he asked.

Kimiko was silent for a moment, clearly trying to find the right way to express herself. "To be left alone," she answered simply.

"...I'm not seeing the downside here."

Kimiko sighed explosively, scowling at Kakashi. "Kakashi!" she snapped.

Said Jounin grunted and waved her off. "Yeah, yeah," he conceded. Truth was, he _did_ see the downside to letting Shuko off to her own devices. A genius like her running wild in the Elemental Nations, with 300 unidentified shinobi at her beck and call...all of whom probably harbored as deep a grudge against the villages as their leader…and the singular intent to cause as much devastating chaos as possible among their enemies...

Yeah, not a pretty scenario to paint.

"So...what do we do?" he asked at length. Kimiko frowned.

"To be honest, I came to you to see if you had any bright ideas," she mentioned.

Kakashi glanced at the wall clock in his apartment. He wasn't needed at the Tower in the Forest of Death for another hour or so...though it really was mostly ceremonial than anything. If the brats arrived with the two scrolls at some point after his shift began, the summoning formula on them would just make some other proctor on duty appear. Still, he wanted to be the one to congratulate them...if they made it.

Which reminded him — he needed to change clothes. Shower, too. Couldn't show up in his nightwear, after all.

"You need to monitor Shuko," he told her, coming back to the topic at hand. "Make sure she doesn't force us into an even deeper hole than we're in. If she tries to fudge with the exam anymore, stop her," he added as he got up and pulled his shirt over his head, leaving only his facemask on. "I'll run interference as long as I can with the other Jounin."

Kimiko's eyes had widened fractionally at Kakashi's sudden state of undress, and quickly averted her gaze, much to his amusement. He'd completely forgotten that, behind the rough and vicious facade of the Uzumaki Clan's enforcer still beat the heart of a maiden.

Armed with this knowledge, Kakashi's eyes gleamed as he wondered how else he could fluster her. Despite his legendary self-control and overall lax attitude towards petty revenge, Kimiko had caused him no end of grief ever since they'd met...and this seemed like the right kind of payback.

Seeing that she'd basically become frozen to the wall, Kakashi eyed her for a moment before shrugging and going for his pants.

_SHINK._

In a flash — a literal one — there was a sword stuck into his house's floor, blade right off his crotch. It somewhat depressed Kakashi to realize that this was hardly the first time he'd been in this sort of situation.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she hissed, blushing furiously.

"Getting ready to shower," he deadpanned. "This is my house, remember? And since you ambushed me before I could get ready, I kinda need to get ready now."

Kimiko blinked, having somehow completely forgotten that she was, in fact, intruding in his home very early in the morning…and standing with a sword ready to split mini-Kakashi in twain at the slightest flick of the blade...while said man was shirtless and had his hands ready to pull down his pants.

When had she turned into Hikari?

"I'll be going now!" she yelped in embarrassment before making the sword vanish and dashing out, leaving a bemused Kakashi behind.

Arguably one of the most powerful Uzumaki clansmen...shy at the sight of the male body. Who knew? Kakashi chuckled, despite the overall gravity of the situation. Once he got Naruto out of the mess he was mired in, he could see himself having a bit of fun at Kimiko's expense.

First things first, however. He had a team to save.

He paused.

_Somehow_.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Training Grounds 44 "The Forest of Death," Chakra Restraining Seal Dissipates in 3.5 hours…<strong>_

Waking up half an hour later, Naruto's first cogent thought was that he had to find a way to pay back Shikamaru for getting him knocked out.

His second thought was to immediately panic as the memory of their impending fight returned in full force. Instinctively rushing to his feet, Naruto looked around him to find himself very alone in what appeared to be a dark cave. That was his first warning sign; if he had been knocked out, then there was no way he'd gotten here without any help — that meant he should have someone else with him.

So where was said person?

On instinct, he summoned some chakra to be ready to throw out whatever jutsu he needed to fight off an enemy, then winced as he was reminded of his current chakra seal. Glowering at his wrist, he mentally reminded himself to ask Maki how to disable an active seal once he got out of this mess.

In fact, in hindsight, it seemed downright irresponsible of him not to have done so in the first place.

Walking to the mouth of the cave, he slowed his pace as he reached the dim sunlight outside — or whatever reached the ground after having been filtered by the thick canopy. It worried him that the only sounds he could make out were the resident wildlife, and none of it sounded remotely friendly.

He made to shout, when he nearly kicked himself for being so reflexively dumb. Instead, he reached for his temporary communication seal and, using a chakra-charged finger, began tapping it in morse code.

Over and over he repeated his message, which was little more than a request for check-in. To his increasing worry, no answer came back, but he reminded himself that this was possible for various reasons. Perhaps his teammates were out of range (it _was_ a temporary, basic communication seal, after all), or the ink had washed off (difficult, but possible), or they were unable to reply for one reason or another...without necessarily meaning death.

The problem was, that didn't help his situation at all. He had to get back to his friends, and finish this thrice-damned test, or else he would be responsible for holding them back.

And that just pissed him off.

"Screw it," he grunted out loud as he rolled his shoulders and made a last attempt at communicating with Sakura and Shikamaru via their temporary tattoos. "Looks like I'll have to look for them the hard way."

"We'd rather you didn't, yeah?"

Naruto immediately shot forward and rolled back onto his feet, smoothly turning on the spot as he did so, to see who had spoken. The voice had been unfamiliar, and he wasn't about to get cornered in a cave; that would be suicide!

Sitting atop the cave entrance in a lotus position, looking rather bored with everything, was a redheaded girl about his age he'd never seen before. For a moment, he let down his guard somewhat, given that it could just be another Uzumaki member he'd never gotten around to getting introduced to, until he spied her hitai-ite.

_Kusa._

Naruto wasn't a boy blessed with the patience to pay much attention to history or politics, but he knew that Kusa's alliance with his village was tenuous at the best of times. Plus, given that his teammates were nowhere to be seen, he was unable to reach them, _and_ this lone chick appeared to know where he'd been….Naruto had reason to be suspicious.

"Who the hell are you?!" he demanded, pointing at her quite rudely.

"Calm your ass down, alright?" the girl answered dismissively, staring down at him through her rimmed glasses as though he was the greatest annoyance she'd had to deal with in her life. "Jun and Tetsu are out getting food. Last thing we need is for you to be a dumbass."

Naruto twitched irritably at the dismissing tone. "Oi! I asked you a question!" he shouted.

The girl smirked at him. "And what makes you think you're in a position to ask them?"

Glowering, Naruto's hands went for his kunai pouch — mentally sighing in relief that he still _had_ a pouch on him — and quickly drew a kunai. "Answer me, damnit!" he demanded.

The girl's smirk grew wider, even as she remained still. "Make me," she dared.

Not backing down, Naruto threw the kunai at the girl, hoping to scare her a bit by nicking her on the cheek. To his surprise, however, the kunai was deflected by the sudden appearance of a glowing chakra shield in front of her, making it bounce off harmlessly. In fact, all around him, chakra suddenly began to shimmer into solid existence, revealing he was caged in a fairly large, translucent chakra box. Just as quickly, the shimmering walls vanished.

The girl laughed out loud at his dumbstruck look. "Not very smart, are you?" she asked as she calmed down. "You really think there's a dumbass on this earth that would just _sit there_ and take a kunai to the head?"

Naruto glowered, but was silently thankful that he'd at least tried. The appearance of the chakra barrier in front of the girl meant she'd taken precautions to avoid getting attacked, which in turned ruled out a frontal assault. Sure, he might've looked foolish for trying to hit her with a thrown kunai, but now he knew a bit more about what he was dealing with here.

Plus, she hadn't moved yet from her spot, and if he was remembering his lessons right, that meant she was the one keeping him trapped in the invisible chakra cage…

"What the hell do you want?" he demanded as he maintained a ready stance. She'd mentioned two names previously, and he wasn't eager to be jumped by her comrades.

The girl's smirk seemed to be a fixed feature. "That's better," she crooned. "Starting to think first before you act. A little late to the party, but I guess even Keisuke-sama's vaunted future Clan Head isn't perfect."

Naruto hoped he'd been able to reel in his visible shock, because the girl's words had just narrowed down his suspicions about her by _a lot_.

"You're...an Uzumaki?" he asked hesitantly. Granted, he'd thought as much to begin with, but then dismissed the idea upon seeing her hitai-ite.

The girl blew some errant lock of her red hair away from her face. "Still slow, huh?" she snarked before glancing up. "Hello? Red hair? Awesomeness incarnate? Of _course_ I'm an Uzumaki, dumbass."

Naruto's shock gave way to relief, completely ignoring the girl's rudeness. If she was an Uzumaki, then odds were she could help him get through this! If she could just take off his seal, then he could go back to his friends and help them out!

"Then!" he shot out his sealed arm. "Can you take this seal off?!" he asked urgently.

"Nope."

Naruto's shoulders slumped. "Damn. Maki-chan's seals are that great, huh?"

His head rose when he heard the girl snicker. "What's so funny?" he asked.

The girl's smirk widened, and Naruto couldn't detect an ounce of friendliness in it. "You really are an idiot, aren't you?" she mused, making Naruto bristle slightly at the continuous insults. "It's not that I _can't_ take away the seal, you moron, but that I _won't_."

Naruto reeled. Here was an Uzumaki clansman, and they were _refusing_ to help him? _Why? _Keisuke-jiji would've for sure told anyone participating in the exam to help him out, if he was in trouble! For that matter, why was she even _in_ this exam? As far as he could remember, the Elders hadn't told him of any Uzumaki candidates! And why was she wearing a Kusa hitai-ite, damnit?!

All of these questions made Naruto's frustration skyrocket, until, in one burst of anger, he vocalized it in the most succinct way he knew.

"WHY THE HELL NOT, DAMNIT?!"

"Shuko-sama's orders."

And just like that, Naruto's anger vanished, replaced with a cold chill in his veins.

Shuko.

The furtive Elder that he'd never met, yet had steadfastly refused to acknowledge him as future Clan Head, thereby keeping their family apart. Everyone he'd spoken to insisted she had her reasons, and that she was incredibly smart, but Naruto had never really understood any of that.

Except now things were beginning to click. The seal on his arm...the seal that _should've_ _disappeared by now_…

"Shuko did this to me, didn't she?" Naruto asked as he looked down at the seal on his wrist.

"Yep," the girl confirmed.

"Why?"

The girl shrugged. "Who knows? With Shuko-sama, it's anyone's guess."

"Does she want me dead?" Naruto asked remarkably calmly.

"Doubt it," the girl answered.

"Why not?"

The girl smirked again. "'Cause my team and I are here."

Naruto blinked. She'd lost him. "Huh?"

The redheaded girl sighed. "I can see why she'd think less of you," she said wearily, rolling her eyes. "Kinda slow on the uptake there, aren'tcha?"

"Oi!"

The girl ignored him. "Look, my team and I are here to monitor you," she explained. "And to only to interfere if you were in danger, or if you were about to pass the test."

Naruto nodded, following so far. One thing did bug him, though — beside the fact that someone was actively sabotaging him and his team, that is — "Won't Shuko get mad at you for telling me this?" he asked. Keisuke and Heiyako, as well as his other clan teachers, had all taught him the value of never revealing too much information to an unknown actor.

The girl, on the other hand, seemed unbothered. "Why? Anyone with two brain cells to rub together could figure it out."

Naruto growled. She just would _not_ stop with the digs at his intelligence; sure, he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but that didn't mean he was an idiot, damnit!

"Are you the reason why we haven't found any Earth Scrolls?" he asked her bluntly. However irritated he was feeling, he needed answers, and the longer she was focused on answering him, the longer he had to think of a way out of this.

The girl smirked. "Liked that?" she asking tauntingly. "All it took was a couple of changes to the scrolls' appearance, and that was that. A few seals applied discreetly before the test began, and BAM! Instant Heaven Scrolls. On the outside, anyway."

Naruto's inner prankster couldn't help but feel impressed. Given that the participants had explicit instructions not to open their scrolls, there was no way of telling whether or not a Heaven Scroll was genuine or not until they reached the Tower...and if they got it wrong, they could be failed.

And if anyone tried to verify its authenticity before the test ended...the scroll's security measures would knock them out for the duration of the test.

Brilliant.

Dastardly, sure, but brilliant.

He was even willing to bet that the "extra" Heaven Scrolls they'd come across already had reverted back to Earth Scrolls once he and his team were out of the way. It's what he'd have done to avoid raising suspicions among the proctors.

"What about my team?" he asked. He still had no idea where his missing teammates were, and he wasn't about to throw them under the metaphorical bus.

The girl shrugged disinterestedly. "If you mean pinky, Jun took her to a safe spot. She'll wake up having regrettably failed the exams, but safe."

"And the others?" Naruto pressed, despite being relieved to know that Sakura was alright. "Shikamaru and the others were about to fight off 15 Oto assholes!"

The girl shrugged again. "Not our problem. They live, they live. They die, pity that."

Okay, _now_ Naruto was getting seriously pissed. The intelligence jokes, he'd lived through worse at school. The isolation from his friends, he could deal with that too, given that he'd gotten out of worse scrapes. He was even fine with knowing someone was dicking around with his life — he was used to that as well.

But being so cavalier about his friends' _lives_?

_Fuck. That. Shit._

He quickly ran through what he knew about barrier seals — the only possible explanation for why the girl had settled for taunting him from her sitting position. He knew they needed to be maintained by a caster — the girl — and its strength was proportionate to the complexity of the seal — which he currently did not know.

According to Maki's lessons, seals were only good as long as the initial sealing formula was left intact. It was one of the reasons Kimiko had to retouch her seals after every fight, or else her body seals would go haywire and potentially rip her apart from the inside.

Similarly, a barrier seal would only be active so long as these initial seals were left intact. A single blemish, a single scrape, and the entire thing collapsed. Thus, while seal barriers were among the most powerful in existence, they were also critically vulnerable in this one aspect.

The problem was, he had a fair idea about where the seal array was located, and that was right underneath the sitting girl — who was in turn protected by a smaller version of the barrier she was using to keep him locked in this area.

"Let me out," he ordered her, walking towards where he'd seen the edge of the barrier shimmer before. "I need to save my friends."

The girl snorted. "With what? Your stellar personality and some angry language?" she asked dismissively. "You forget, we've been monitoring you. That chakra seal is keeping you from accessing most of your chakra — about 95%, by my calculations. Your Taijutsu is basically passable, but not overwhelming or effective against large groups; and your sealing knowledge is based solely on the slips of paper that Maki-chan gave you."

The girl took a deep breath and then shrugged. "Face it. You're scre—"

Whatever she was going to say died in her throat as Naruto punched the edge of the barrier, making it shimmer briefly, but remain intact.

A moment of silence passed between them before the girl recovered from shock. "What the...are you a complete dumbass or something?!" she demanded, managing to stay sitting despite her anger. "This is a Level 4 Barrier Seal!" she reprimanded him. "You're more liable to break your idiot hand than it is to budge!"

WHAM.

Again, Naruto smashed his fist against the barrier, and again it refused to break. The girl could only gape at the astounding amount of idiocy being displayed here.

"Holy crap," she muttered disbelievingly. "_This_ is the future Clan Head?! No wonder Shuko-sama wants nothing to do with you!"

WHAM.

Naruto's third punch was similarly ineffective, but rather than ready a fourth punch, Naruto turned to face his captor, a potentially suicidal idea coming to mind.

"Shuko is a coward."

Silence.

"You have _five seconds_ to apologize before I make up a story about how you _tragically_ died before we could save you, punk," the girl threatened as her visage twisted into the perfect image of fury.

Now it was _his_ turn to smile tauntingly. "Shuko. is. a. coward," he repeated slowly.

The girl's eyes narrowed into a deep, furious glare. "You...little…" her entire frame was trembling, as her self-control battled with her raging emotions.

Eventually, however, her temper could hold out no more, and she shot to her feet.

"FUCK!" she screamed angrily, the entire barrier lighting up like the sun, before the sound of glass breaking filled the clearing. As she belatedly realized what had happened, the girl and Naruto watched as the clearing was lit up by the now-visible barrier, before it shattered into nothingness.

There was a pregnant pause then, as both Naruto and the girl realized he was now free.

"Oh, shit."

Without a moment's delay, Naruto shot her a triumphant grin, and then vanished from sight.

For the first time _ever_, he could _not_ be more glad for the infamous Uzumaki temper.

* * *

><p>In hindsight, Karin realized that perhaps putting her in charge of the prisoner had been a bad idea.<p>

Shuko had always encouraged self-reflection among her clansmen, and Karin had often come to the conclusion that she was, much like many of her clan, incredibly hotheaded. The trigger for the famous Uzumaki temper, of course, wasn't universal. Some people, like herself, got pissed off when their heroes or families were insulted or harmed.

Others, like Isamu, were much colder. Their triggers were much less obvious, and they were capable of greater restraint.

As a result, they were also the ones trusted the most by Shuko for critical assignments that demanded stealth and subtlety.

In her team, that person was Jun.

"Shuko-sama will be displeased," Jun noted as they raced after the fleeing Naruto. He and Tetsu had been on their way back to the camp, having left the Haruno girl near the Tower, when they'd received Karin's burst transmission through their seals that Naruto had escaped.

Karin predictably winced at Jun's rather bland reprimand. It was the closest Jun ever seemed to get to yelling his head off.

"Yeah, Karin, what the hell?!" Tetsu, on the other hand, was far less coolheaded. "How'd a brat get through a level four barrier seal?!"

"He...he provoked me!" Karin shot back a bit lamely. Truth be told, it wasn't a great excuse, and her teammates' expressions told her they weren't the least impressed.

"Perhaps I should have remained with the prisoner after all," Jun mused aloud as he jumped to the next tree branch.

Karin dipped her head in embarrassment. She had held such high expectations regarding her first foray into carrying out missions for Shuko. Most clansmen her age were usually still in training, or relegated to support roles _far_ away from the actual mission. That she had been picked for this mission at all had been remarkable, and not a small source of pride for her.

Of course, the reason for her presence was obvious. Jun and Tetsu were both a little too skilled to be believed to be Genin. However, Karin was both the right age, and had the right amount of skill, for _anyone_ to believe she was a rookie.

Even the Level 4 Barrier Seal had been Jun's work. All she'd had to do was sit still and fuel the barrier with her not insubstantial chakra reserves. Like a battery.

A battery that had failed its purpose.

"What happened, happened," Jun said then, landing on another branch and taking note of something on it. "We are close. He appears to be moving directly towards our last reported sighting of the Oto-nin and Konoha-nin conflict."

Karin grit her teeth. Of course he was. Stubborn and predictable as a mule, that Clan Head candidate. She couldn't wait to get her hands on him and beat him within an inch of his life for humiliating her. Of course, it would've been even cooler if she could manipulate her chakra to create the infamous _Kongō Fūsa_, or Adamantine Sealing Chains.

Jun was capable of it. Tetsu wasn't.

"So, what's the plan, boss man?" Tetsu asked, his savage grin splitting his face. Unlike Karin, he seemed to have a good idea what their team leader had in mind.

"We reacquire the target," Jun replied cooly. "Willingly, if possible."

"And if he resists?" Karin asked.

"_Insist_."

Karin shivered from the way Jun had emphasized his reply. She had no doubts that if Naruto showed any sort of resistance, Jun would not hesitate to break a bone or two to ensure his "cooperation." To clansmen like Jun, Shuko's orders were absolute, and there was no changing their minds.

"There he is!" Tetsu cried with a triumphant grin, pointing towards the grey-and-black figure jumping branches ahead of them.

Karin smiled as well; it was inevitable, really. With his Chakra Seal in place, every jump would wear down on his reserves and stamina, while her team was raring to go.

"I've got him," Jun announced simply, and with a mere twitch of his eyes, four chakra chains burst out from his back, turning in mid air and shooting towards Naruto. The blonde barely had the chance to turn his head to see what was going on before the chains were upon him.

To their surprise, however, Naruto reacted quickly, dodging the initial salvo of chakra chains and speeding up — though they could see this was straining his already minimal chakra reserves. The chakra chains, for their part, wedged themselves in a nearby tree.

"Slippery little sod," Tetsu noted with a savage grin.

Jun nodded, before frowning. "But ultimately useless," he said, right before he disappeared from Karin's side. Karin had to adjust her bearings a bit before she realized Jun was using the chakra chains to _pull_ himself forward.

Karin winced as she saw Jun suddenly overtake Naruto and spear tackle him down towards the ground. Tetsu and she quickly caught up, but by then, Jun had managed to subdue the blonde.

"Let me go!" Naruto demanded as he futilely continued to struggle.

"Please cease your resistance, Naruto-san," Jun said neutrally as he kept the blonde's arms pinned on his back, the other hand holding down his head. "I would rather not have to take drastic measures to ensure your cooperation."

Jun then looked up at his teammates. "Tetsu, set up a perimeter. Karin-kun, please bind Naruto-san's limbs securely."

"Let me go, damnit!" Naruto continued to howl. "I won't abandon my friends!"

"Their fate is outside your power to affect, Naruto-san," Jun said calmly as he effortlessly held him down. "Not only have you not the skill to turn the tides of their struggle, you have had most of your chakra sealed away, including your remarkable condition."

Naruto froze for an instant, having apparently deduced that they knew he was a Jinchuuriki. Karin took advantage of that moment of indecision to bind his wrists.

"How do you know?" he asked.

Jun ignored the huff of condescending pride from Karin. "We are intelligence gatherers, Naruto-san. It is only logical we would piece everything together," he explained.

Karin frowned as she noticed that, despite his earlier struggle, Naruto was seemingly calming down. That was highly unusual, given the boy's desperate attempts to escape previously. What was he planning this time?

"Jun-senpai," she started, only to be halted as the man raised a hand.

"I am aware, Karin-san," he said calmly, still holding Naruto down. The Uzumaki tracker's gaze was turned to meet Naruto's own. "If your intent to escape now involves convincing us of the righteousness of your cause, Naruto-san, I wouldn't bother. Shuko-sama's orders are _absolute_."

Naruto chuckled grimly. "Yeah, I figured," he acknowledged. "I got that feeling from sealing girl, there."

Karin twitched. Technically, the barrier seal had been Jun's work, not hers.

"Then you have decided to surrender and cooperate?" Jun asked, not once relieving the pressure he was applying to Naruto's wrists.

"Never," Naruto said with such conviction as to momentarily make Karin stumble in surprise. "Even if you break every bone in my body, I would just crawl away next time."

Jun nodded silently...and then proceeded to dislocate one of Naruto's wrists.

Kairn flinched at Naruto's howl of pain, while Jun seemed entirely unaffected by it.

"You are worthy of respect, Naruto-san," Jun said calmly, seemingly ignoring the fact that he had just caused the future Clan Head of the Uzumaki enormous amounts of pain. "Your strength of conviction, worthy of praise. But conviction is useless in the face of superior strategy and power."

"Fuck...you!" Naruto gasped through the pain.

Jun ignored the insult. "Are you aware, Naruto-san, of the reason we are to detain you, not kill you?" he asked.

Naruto's expression clearly said he'd much rather gut the older Uzumaki right now, but the pain was clearly too much for him to vocalize anything.

"Shuko-sama is not heartless," Jun informed his prisoner, nodding to Karin to proceed with binding his ankles. "Though it would have served our goals better to see you dead, Naruto-san, you are still of our blood," he added. "And Shuko-sama has no wish to spill Uzumaki blood."

"Then...join...us...you..._fucking_...morons!" Naruto hissed through gritted teeth.

"We cannot," Jun said calmly. "You would have us join hands with our enemy, Naruto-san. To forgive the unforgivable."

"Konoha...not...Kiri!" Naruto spat.

Jun eyed him askance. "And what makes you think _Kiri_ is the one we want revenge on?"

Naruto stared at Jun in silence, dawning horror creeping onto his face.

Jun stared up, towards where he could hear the sounds of a battle coming closer. Likely the Konoha-nin and Oto-nin. He didn't worry, however; Tetsu was on perimeter guard, so if anyone came close enough to become a problem, he would let Jun know.

"Iwa, Kiri, Kumo," Jun then continued. "The three Great Villages who laid waste to Uzu and Uzushiogakure. It is natural that, like many of our clansmen here, you would think we would want them to pay."

Jun then glanced at Karin, who nodded, having finished binding Naruto's limbs. Finally, Jun dropped the pressure he applied to Naruto's aching wrist. "But theirs is a crime of fear, and strategically understandable. Konoha's sin, however, is one of craven cowardice."

Naruto glared at Jun, who was finally standing up. He had that look of self-righteousness that always made Naruto want to punch his old Academy teachers — Iruka excluded — in the face. "You...bastards!"

Jun's gaze was upon him, silently telling him that he had lost completely. "For the sin of abandoning their allies, Konoha will lose the Uzumaki, and gain the ire of the Great Nations."

"Like hell they will!"

Jun and Karin had barely the time to react when a sudden transmission through their seals from Tetsu warned them of what was to come.

A single kunai, a seal tag attached to it, landed firmly next to them, prompting Karin and Jun to jump out of the way, in case it was an exploding tag.

Instead, it unleashed a large cloud of smoke that instantly obscured their view of Naruto, prompting Karin to swear loudly.

"Damnit!" she cursed. "Who did that?!"

Jun, for his part, remained calm, eyeing his Uzumaki tattoo on his shoulder. "It would seem there is someone competent among Naruto-san's teammates," he observed as he made a quick seal and blew away the smoke. "We have been ambushed."

Standing all around them atop of branches was a group of three worn, but defiant Konoha-nin. Their leader, a wild looking teen with red markings on his cheeks and a puppy at his side, was glowering down at them, while a blonde teenage girl undid Naruto's bindings. A third teen, whose expression was hidden by a high-collared jacket and large, dark glasses, stood silently by.

"Looks like you've been taking care of our friend for us," Kiba growled, cracking his knuckles audibly. "We'd like to repay the favour."

Ino nodded as she reset Naruto's wrist with a pop, causing the boy to whimper in pain. She turned to glower at the three Kusa-nin who'd boldly announced they would bring Konoha down. "You hurt our friend...and threaten our village," she said angrily, drawing a kunai. "You're going down!"

Then, a buzzing sound started to permeate the air, and Jun and Karin noticed that there seemed to be a sudden increase in the presence of bugs around them. Karin saw that neither the first boy or the girl seemed to be controlling them, leaving the third one as the likely culprit.

"Konoha values its bonds," Shino said, even as the buzzing sound increased. "Why? Because we value our friends."

Kiba sneered, bumping his fists together with some strength, while his puppy barked angrily at the two Kusa-nin.

"Team Kiba, engage!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>Post-AN:<em>**_ For the curious: Isamu (who premiered last chapter and is referenced this chapter) is the expy of Jellal. Karin is, of course, Karin. Jun and Tetsu are OCs._

_Also, no matter what you hear from Jun, bear in mind that Karin's dictum is probably the best thing to keep in mind for this arc: __"With Shuko-sama, it's **anyone's** guess."_


	26. Chuunin Exam Arc: The Second Test Pt 3

**_AN:_**_ So, I kinda felt bad about leaving you guys hanging for all that time for Part 2, so I decided to sit down and crunch out Part 3. That was a decision I took two days ago. :P_

_Anyway, happy reading, and remember: when it comes to strategists and ninjas, __**nothing is ever what it seems.**_

* * *

><p><em>Kiba sneered, bumping his fists together with some strength, while his puppy barked angrily at the two Kusa-nin. <em>

"_Team Kiba, engage!"_

"Withdraw."

Kiba and his team froze in place as the redheaded young man on the ground simply turned away, his similarly redheaded female companion following shortly after. What was going on? Was this a trap? Why were the redheaded Kusa-nin abandoning their prey so easily?

"Tetsu, that means you, too."

Kiba's senses suddenly screamed danger, and quickly turned around, ready to defend his team, when he suddenly noticed someone towering above them, the most savage grin he'd ever seen adorning the beast's face.

"Aw...can't I break one, Jun?" the beast-man called Tetsu said longingly. "They look so..._fragile_."

For once, Kiba's voice failed to vocalize his defiance, as his quasi-animalistic instincts screamed danger at him. The look in the young man's face wasn't..._normal_. It was the look of someone who _enjoyed_ destroying people.

"We have our orders," the one called Jun said calmly. Kiba afforded a glance back, and saw that even the girl seemed uneasy about the situation. "We are not to harm any of the Konoha-nin referred to as the Rookie Nine."

"Aw…" Tetsu whined, before grinning down at Kiba. "Lucky day, brat," he added, before disappearing in a flash, only to reappear by Jun's side.

Said stoic redhead merely stared at Naruto, who was still lying down on the branch, nursing his fixed wrist. For a moment, Kiba thought the redhead might make a move after all, before he turned away again, flanked by his own companions.

"We will concede this engagement, Konoha-nin," he announced aloud. "Naruto-san. If you wish to know more about the truth of your family, I would suggest you seek _her_ out. You might find your current allegiances a little harder to stomach, then."

"Oi!" Kiba shouted as the three redheads vanished.

"Kiba, leave them be," Shino stopped his teammate. "That was high-level Shunshin. We are not at their level."

Ino swallowed and nodded, still shaking from the encounter with the one called Tetsu. She hadn't even realized he had snuck up on them, and she was supposed to be a member of a family of _sensors_. Then again, neither had Kiba, and his sense of smell was unparalleled.

"He's right," Naruto grumbled as he got to his feet, still avoiding putting pressure on his aching wrist. Jun had gotten him good, he was willing to admit, but the fact that it had been a mere displacement, rather than a clean break, had told him that Karin's assertion that they were here to restrain him and protect him, not hurt him, was probably true.

Which meant Jun's assertion that they were not to harm the Rookie Nine (he had no idea they were even called that!) was also likely true.

"The only one in that group who's a Genin is the girl," he told them. "The other two are _way_ stronger."

Naruto's voice snapped Kiba out of his momentary paralysis, prompting him to glare at his friend.

"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?" he demanded. "Why would Kusa cheat like that?"

Naruto didn't answer, unwilling, despite what they'd done to him, to incriminate his family in this mess. Moreover, he didn't know if Kiba, Shino, or Ino would understand the way his family was divided, or the complicated mess that had arisen as a result of their homeland's destruction.

"They are not from Kusa, are they?" Shino asked calmly. Naruto flinched.

"Eh?" Ino said. "Why would they be wearing Kusa headbands, then?"

"Likely to throw us off," Shino answered. "Why? Because their goal appears to be to cause a massive war between the villages. What better way to do that than to cause one of Konoha's alliances to dissolve?"

Kiba narrowed his eyes. He didn't like subtle bullshit like that. He'd much rather the enemy came head on, no matter the odds, and go down fighting like a real man. All this cloak and dagger shit really got on his nerves.

"Naruto…" Ino spoke up then, looking around. "Where's the rest of your team?"

Naruto looked further into the forest. The sound of fighting had died down a bit. He didn't know whether or not that was good, but couldn't afford to lose hope right now. "We were ambushed by Oto-nin," he said. "I...got separated from the rest. Sakura-chan too. She should be near the Tower, though."

Shino pushed up his glasses, a stray beam of sunlight causing it to briefly flash. "These fake Kusa nin are the reason Sakura-san and yourself were separated from the rest, aren't they?"

Naruto sweat a bit at Shino's observation. Damn that guy and his perceptiveness! "...Yeah."

Kiba frowned at Naruto, still remembering he needed to sock his friend one for all the crap he'd put them through the past few weeks, but decided this wasn't the time or place. Instead, he turned around and began sniffing the air, Akamaru following suit. The dog got there before he did, however, and barked anxiously.

"Akamaru's got their scent," Kiba announced, translating for his ninken. "They're moving all over the place, followed by a bunch of unfamiliar scents."

Naruto growled. "The Oto-nin." He eyed his temporary communication tattoo, but decided against contacting Shikamaru at this time. He didn't know what his friend's circumstances were, and if he inadvertently distracted him at a potentially fatal time, he would never forgive himself.

"We need to go help them!" Ino exclaimed.

"Agreed," Shino weighed in.

Kiba smirked, bumping fists together, while Akamaru barked in agreement. "Of course we're going. Konoha never leaves its comrades hanging!"

None of them noticed Naruto's flinch.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru was having a rather bad day.<p>

Now, as a rule, that could mean anything from having to study for a test, to World War IV.

Except, with the events of the past few weeks taken into perspective, he figured it was about time he revised his categorization of a "bad" day. Under this new revision, tests were now "troublesome," while World War IV was "catastrophic."

"Bad" was what he was facing now.

A mob of Oto-nins aiming to kill him and his friends.

Of course, the initial confrontation had gone pretty much as he'd envisioned. Once Sakura and Naruto had made their escape (or rather, once Sakura had carried the unconscious Naruto off), the Oto nin had tried to stop them, allowing Choji and Sasuke to launch a surprise attack that held off the Oto-nin's pursuit.

The problem was what came after.

Once Sakura and Naruto — arguably the weakest members of their group right now — had gone, the Oto-nin had turned their attentions back to the remaining 4 Konoha shinobi. Of course, being that only three had deigned to actually step up to fight, that should have meant a quick victory.

Except that the moment one of the Oto nin looked about ready to fall, another jumped in and took their place. Then the wounded Oto nin would get out of the way, only to return later, when their wounds were healed.

Which meant the presence of a medic nin.

Definitely _not_ Genin level.

If it weren't for the fact that they were aiming to kill him, Shikamaru might have actually admired the plan. Without needing their forces to sacrifice their lives for the sake of taking down one of the Konoha Rookies, the Oto nin were nonetheless able to whittle down their stamina and fighting abilities through sheer attrition.

Which suddenly tilted the odds _way_ in their favour, considering they had at least 15 shinobi on their side, while he had to plan with 4, including himself.

"Shikamaru…" Sasuke spoke up at his side, breathing heavily. Honestly, the raven haired Uchiha survivor had done well to last this long, even if the quality of the enemy Genin was subpar. His outfit had numerous tears all over, and quite a few cuts — though none impairing.

"Yeah," Shikamaru acknowledged, wiping away some sweat from his larger-than-average forehead with his sleeve. There wasn't a member of the remaining Konoha nin who didn't look worse for wear right now.

Hinata, surprisingly, had the second highest stamina, a little out of breath, like Sasuke, but otherwise still battle capable. Choji was only marginally better than he was, on the other hand, and the poor, rotund boy had begun to slow down with his attacks.

Thousands of scenarios and careful calculations flashed through Shikamaru's mind, even as the Oto nin began another offensive. Each scenario he considered carefully, outlining steps and contingencies. Before the Oto nin had moved even halfway forward towards them, Shikamaru had already processed over 200 possible scenarios.

All of them ended in defeat.

He had considered escape, but it was impossible without leaving someone behind as a sacrificial pawn. He had considered breaking through by force, only to rationally deduce that the remaining Oto nin wouldn't just stand by, and would instead seek to trap them. From the way they were particularly focused on taking out Sasuke, any attempts to escape would necessitate his abandonment.

And abandoning allies was one thing he could not countenance.

He blamed Naruto for that. Stupid blonde and his infectious, stupid sense of honor.

He hadn't even realized he was smirking until Choji pointed it out. "What's so funny, Shika?"

Shikamaru sighed, almost resigned by now to the fact that he was going to die in this troublesome forest, surrounded by troublesome friends, at the hands of troublesome foreign ninjas with a secretive agenda. "Just thinking what Naruto would do in this situation."

He half-expected Sasuke to make a crack at Naruto's expense, but instead all he got was a surprising grunt in agreement.

"Dobe always did know how to get his ass out of a slippery situation," the usually acerbic Uchiha agreed grudgingly.

Hinata smiled, despite the growing numbness of her muscles as she remained in her stance. She was pushing herself past her limits, and would soon be restricted to fighting with nothing more than her raw, physical strength...which she did not have in abundance. "Naruto-kun would...fight to the end," she said with all the conviction she could muster.

"Yeah, he's dumb like that," Choji agreed with a chuckle.

Shikamaru chuckled exasperatedly. "I guess that makes us dumb, too," he mused as he watched the Oto nin charge forward.

The Oto nin crashed into their midst as they had before. They weren't trying to be clever, or even all that cunning. All they sought to do was to force them to fight physically for as long as possible, before retreating. To that end, Shikamaru was forced, time and time again, to abandon his Shadow techniques in favour of a kunai. Every time he attempted to hold one of them down, the other two would switch their attention to him. If he ever managed to get all three, a hail of kunai from the other Oto nin would force him to let go, beginning the cycle all over again.

Gritting his teeth, he kept the Oto nin at bay with his kunai, peripherally noting that Sasuke and Hinata had chosen to fight this time, giving Choji the chance to breathe. By his calculations, he would be the next one taking a break, followed by Hinata, then Choji again, then Sasuke, then himself...and then they were all dead.

"We need a miracle," he muttered under his breath as he parried another blow. It had been closer than the others, and Shikamaru could see the number of possible outcomes slowly dwindle.

The Oto nin in front of him, whose eyes were bandaged, shot him a sick grin. "Ain't no miracles coming to save your ass, you Konoha treefuckers!" he cackled.

Shikamaru knew he was right, even as an errant bug flew into his field of vision. Miracles were the object of fantasy. In reality, what often came across as miracles was merely the convergence of a thousand different actions and factors that no one had seen coming.

In the absence of information, everything looked like magic.

But _damn_ if it didn't make your heart soar when it happened.

He had to restrain a throaty chuckle as he realized what he'd been missing. What the Oto nin had missed entirely.

They weren't the Rookie Six.

They were the Rookie _Nine_.

"What the fuck is it with these bugs?!" the Oto nin attacking him cried out as he abandoned attacking Shikamaru in favor of swatting them away. Similarly beset upon by the bugs, the other two attacking Oto nin cried out helplessly as the swarm intensified and began to suck away at their chakra.

Hinata laughed in disbelieving relief. Sasuke gave a tired smirk. Choji fell on his ass, his smile speaking volumes.

And Shikamaru bent over to take a breath, then looked up with a knowing smile.

"It's about damn time you got your ass back here, Naruto."

A single figure landed among the panicking Oto nin and proceeded to dispatch them with well practiced Hakkeshoken strikes. As the swarm of bugs dispersed, their job done, Naruto stood there, looking strangely grim, yet ready to fight.

"You guys alright?" he asked.

Sasuke swallowed hard before nodding, while Shikamaru and Choji gave rather more tired nods. Hinata, for her part, seemed to be standing based solely on willpower right now, but the look on her face told Naruto there would be no way to get her to back down.

Shocked shouting broke out all around them, prompting a smirk from Naruto.

"That'd be Kiba and Shino," he remarked. "Ino's keeping an eye out for any other Oto nins coming our way."

He looked back at his friends. "Come on. We need to lose them before they recover."

Sasuke shot Shikamaru a questioning look, which he answered with a shrug. Right now, he had no plans; he needed information, and time, to formulate a strategy. Retreating was, in the end, their best option.

"Lead the way."

* * *

><p>Jun and his team watched as the Konoha nin fled the scene of battle, the sudden arrival of four more comrades managing to cause quite a bit of disarray among the Oto ranks.<p>

"Shuko-sama is going to be _so pissed_…" Karin was whining, holding her head in her hands.

"Doubtful," Jun observed calmly. "We completed our orders to the letter. We intervened to save Naruto-san, and though he escaped, he fled back to his allies, and is thus in no extraordinary danger."

"Tch," the monster-man known as Tetsu vocalized. "I still think I could've crushed a few of them to make things more fun."

"Alienating the clan from the rest of Konoha's Great Houses is not our directive," Jun retorted coldly. "Such a course of action would have made obtaining Naruto-san's cooperation even more difficult."

"What, like dislocating his freakin' wrist?" Karin observed snidely.

Jun shrugged. "An unfortunate decision, which had to be taken in light of our then-circumstances," he said. "Had he agreed to be taken to safety, I would not have needed to do so. In the end, his comrade was able to help him, no?"

Tetsu laughed, while Karin sighed into her hands. "The ridiculous thing here is, you actually think Naruto's going to let this go that easily."

Jun blinked. "Will he not?"

Karin sighed again, while Tetsu's laugh just increased in intensity. None of them reacted when six Oto-nins jumped into view and surrounded them, their beat-up appearance informing them they had participated in the assault on the Konoha Genin.

"Who the hell are you?!" one of them cried out.

"Surrender, or die!" cried another.

Karin paid them no heed. "Should we keep messing with the scrolls, then?" she asked Jun.

The lead Oto nin glowered at her, and raised his kunai. "Don't ignore me!" he howled, ready to stab her in the throat.

The kunai never got there. Nor did his arm. Instead, a spray of arterial blood showered the Oto nin standing next to him.

"No," Jun answered, ignoring the Oto nin as he fell to his knees, howling in pain. "This situation with the Oto shinobi should be reported to Shuko-sama, and we will thereafter continue our monitoring."

"You fuckers!" another Oto nin shouted as they charged. Neither Jun nor Karin made a move. Instead, the older of the duo just stared at them blankly.

"Tetsu."

The Oto shinobi only belatedly realized something they had crucially missed, what with the sudden loss of their fellow shinobi's arm. The third member of this mysterious group of Kusa-nin was gone.

An animalistic howl from above caught their attention, just before two of the Oto shinobi had their heads caved in. Before the rest could react, the creature was among them, its large fists hitting out and crushing bone with every impact.

"He's a Goken user!" one of them cried out. "Quick, seal his move—!" he ordered, right before his ribcage collapsed and punctured his lungs fatally with one blow.

The two junior members of the Oto strike team were frozen in fear as the monster tore through their teammates. Before they knew it, the creature was towering over them, its long, red mane of hair accentuating the deadly grin on his face and the blood splatter on his _gi_.

"What's wrong?" he asked tauntingly. "Just gonna stand there, pansies?"

"M-m…" the female Oto nin stuttered, her eyes wide with horror. The kunai in her hand was shaking so hard, it was a miracle she could keep a grip on it. "Monster!"

Said monster's grin simply widened at the accusation, and casually gripped both remaining Oto shinobi by the neck without resistance. With his bulging musculature, these teenagers might as well have weighed the same as two of his easy-day dumbbells.

"Curse the day you decided to become shinobi," he said, still grinning.

At that moment, the two remaining members of the Oto detachment looked to the other male Kusa nin. He had his head bowed and his right hand raised in some odd gesture. A glance at the girl showed she was in the same posture.

"May you find peace upon the Shining Path," Jun intoned.

A final attempt to scream was ended when Tetsu crushed their throats, his large hands collapsing their trachea and snapping their neck in a single motion.

Their lives ended, the large Uzumaki warrior let the bodies drop towards the ground below, completely uncaring if their bodies were broken even more in the fall. Dead was dead; the dead could not protest.

"Oh, damnit Tetsu!" Karin whined as she checked her clothing. "You got some blood on me!"

Tetsu shrugged as he made a show of dusting his hands, which were still covered in Oto blood. "They were squishy. These Genin are no challenge at all," he complained to Jun, who shrugged.

"I should hope not," Jun remarked. "As Uzumaki Jounin, it would be most distressing if mere Genin were a match for us."

Karin huffed as she got to her feet. "Speak for yourselves!" she complained. "_I'm_ still a Genin!"

Jun ignored her. "They are moving quite fast," he observed. "We must hasten if we are to keep track of them, since Karin-san's sensory ability is still undeveloped."

Karin flinched at the backhanded reprimand, but consoled herself with the knowledge that, at her age, very few Genin even _had_ a sensory ability. The Uzumaki Clan just happened to have far more demanding expectations.

"What if we run into more of those Oto pukes?" Tetsu asked with an unhinged grin.

Jun shrugged, while Karin sighed in exasperation. She was definitely going to need a change of clothes by the time this event was over.

"Do with them as you wish," Jun replied simply. "Our target is Naruto-san. Make sure not to lose him, but be sure to stay out of range of the Hyuuga's eyes," he ordered his team. He then swept his arm in the general direction the Konoha genin had taken. "Move out!"

"_Hai!_"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Konohagakure, 2 Hours Until the Chakra Seal Dissipates…<strong>_

Shuko eyed the arguing group of shinobi with a wary eye, still in her child form.

She had arbitrarily decided that she wanted to go out for a walk, and had roped Toshiko into her decision. The younger Uzumaki clansman was now acting like Shuko's older sister, given the Clan Elder's child form, and she was doing a good job of pretending to be anxious about the group of Suna and Kiri nin who appeared to be one wrong shove away from drawing weapons.

Fortunately for the actually anxious innocent bystanders, the argument was promptly dissolved by the appearance of ANBU operatives, who calmly ordered them to disperse.

"That's the fifth fight today," one of the masked operatives muttered under his breath...though not softly enough to prevent Shuko and Toshiko from hearing him, right before he disappeared from sight.

The duo casually made their way towards a nearby park, where they took a seat on a bench as they enjoyed some ice cream. Yet, both of their minds were on the argument they'd just seen.

"The fights are increasing in frequency," Toshiko noted.

Shuko nodded, but just kept licking her ice cream.

"This does not concern you, Shuko-sama?" she asked.

The Clan Elder stopped, mid-lick, and shot her favourite clansman a look.

Toshiko, despite her favoured status, immediately understood her mistake and blushed in embarrassment as she looked away. "Apologies. _Ai-chan_," she corrected herself.

Shuko nodded as she turned back to her ice cream. Ever since they had arrived in Konoha, she had made sure that the only people who knew she was here were her own clansmen. She harbored no expectations that anyone else would recognize her name off-handedly, but given that the sitting Hokage and Keisuke seemed amiable towards each other, there was no discounting that her name might have been made known.

Which was, of course, why another clansmen of hers was now running Konoha around using the name Shuko, while the Elder herself used the much more unassuming name, Ai.

The thing was, Toshiko wasn't wrong when she asked her if the fights concerned her. They did. Though she held absolutely no love for _any_ of the Great Villages, Shuko had a plan going on right now, and the last thing she needed was some amateur stumbling into her path.

And amateurish it certainly was. Inciting fights between the different shinobi factions while a Gokage Summit is underway? Oldest trick in the book...and not very effective, if one knew what to look for.

Like that shifty Iwa nin she'd spotted a couple of days ago. It was most concerning that Takeru and Yukimaru had failed to produce any solid results. According to their report, the Iwa nin had simply vanished after the altercation. Any attempts to track him down had met with failure.

It had been one of the reasons she had wanted to make that map of Konoha as quickly as possible. There was something in the air that was bugging her, and she didn't quite like the feeling of it.

The last time she'd felt this way, she'd been on her deathbed in Uzu, and a Grand Alliance was coming to destroy her homeland.

"Toshiko-nee," she spoke up; her ice cream could wait. Even if it _was_ quite good.

"Yes, Ai-chan?"

"We should invite our _nii-chans_ to come and visit this place," she said innocently with a grin. "The forests outside the wall are really pretty!"

Toshiko's gaze sharpened for an instant before returning to normal. She smiled and nodded as she patted Shuko on the head. "You're right! We should! I'm sure our _nii-sans_ would appreciate a walk in the forest!"

Shuko grinned and nodded fervently. "And, and! If they find something cool, they should totally tell us, so we can go together next time!"

Toshiko smiled and nodded. "That's right, Ai-chan. As a family."

Shuko nodded excitedly before turning to her ice cream, keeping up with the small child routine. Her thoughts, however, turned to her plan. It would need revisions — that was for sure. This third party's amateurish blundering was causing the international political situation to worsen with each passing day.

Of course, their objective was as clear as day: a war.

Someone was dumb enough to try to start the Fourth Shinobi World War. Even given her reckless behaviour at times, Shuko wasn't _that_ reckless. While there was no denying that every Uzumaki on the continent had a right to wish death upon all the Great Villages for what happened to their homeland, Shuko wasn't so far gone as to think her clan could weather such a conflict in its current, fragmented state.

Of course, knowing a war was the endgame of this third faction was just step one. The next step was to determine _why_. No Great Village wanted a war — even with all their militarization, Kumo would resist being drawn into such a mass-scale conflict. Likely, they would prefer minor fights with the other villages.

Onoki of Iwa, for his part, was far too wise — or, rather, too _cunning_ — to allow his country to be drawn into such a war; especially after the disaster stemming from the Third War, when Namikaze Minato — coincidentally enough, Naruto's father — annihilated an entire battalion of his men. Kiri's rebels, led by the woman known as Terumi Mei, wasn't in any position to profit from a global war. The Kazekage, while renowned for his preference of material gains over friendships and such, was nonetheless severely undermanned and unlikely to gain much from such a conflict.

And the Hokage...Shuko repressed a snort. The Sandaime Hokage wasn't the type to seek a war. She had no doubts that even a minor skirmish broke the old man's heart. Still, she had to give him props — despite their reputation as peace-loving hippies, Shuko's agents across the continent had heard of some pretty shady dealings carried out by Konoha agents.

And there'd been that whole Amegakure affair, once upon a time, she supposed.

Still, her musings brought her no closer to an answer, and she truly was quite curious about who would seek to start a continent-wide war. It had to be someone who stood to gain a lot. A weapon's dealer? They certainly fit the type...but ever since her cute little clansmen here in Konoha screwed Gatou over, she didn't exactly have a prime candidate in mind.

Perhaps the head of some fanatic, doomsday cult? No...ever since the Jashin cult was stomped out, the remaining members — if there were any — didn't have the clout or reach they once did.

That left minor villages, and rogue factions among the Great Villages. The thing was, minor villages — or rather, their countries — tended to be, more often than not, the battlefields for such wars, so she couldn't really see what the payoff would be for such a war.

Rogue factions also seemed like good candidates, except they'd always been around. Every village, big or small, had its band of crackpots who believed their actions were for some "greater good," even though they always ended up screwing over someone else in the process, and ended up causing some bigger problem down the road.

Amateurs, she thought.

Like the shinobi currently keeping her under watch.

"Toshiko-nee," she spoke up, catching the younger clansman's attention. "Let's go for a walk, yeah?"

Toshiko blinked at her, before glancing to the side and nodding. "Sure, Ai-chan. Where do you want to go?"

Shuko smiled. "Somewhere...quiet."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Training Ground 44, "Forest of Death," 1.5 hours remain on Chakra Seal…<strong>_

"You're sure that's everything?"

Naruto nodded at Shikamaru as the teen sighed and adopted his "thinking pose." The now-reunited Rookie Nine had once again paused in their trip to the Tower, having been forcefully redirected away by the pursuing Oto nin, and Naruto had seen a chance to talk to Shikamaru about he'd experienced at the hands of Karin, Jun, and Tetsu.

Needless to say, the Nara heir was _not_ pleased.

While the others had taken to resting, with Kiba and Sasuke on watch duty this time around, Naruto and Shikamaru were off to the side, talking out of earshot.

"I think they were lying to you," Shikamaru concluded in the end. "And at the same time, I think they weren't."

Naruto blinked. Well, that was damn unhelpful. "Huh?"

Shikamaru sighed irritably as he rested his forehead on a fist. "Look, they told you they didn't want you dead, right? That seems to be pretty accurate, all things considered. If this Shuko lady wanted you dead, why only change the timer of the seal?" he asked, pointing at Naruto's wrist. "Why not just seal _all_ of your chakra away?"

"Maybe she couldn't?" Naruto guessed. "Maybe it took too long?"

"But any one of her minions, especially those who tailed you, could have done it while you were unconscious," he pointed out reasonably, before narrowing his eyes at the blonde. "You _can_ still feel your chakra, right?"

Naruto nodded, prompting a relieved sigh from Shikamaru.

"Alright. See?" he continued. "Also, if they wanted you dead, they would've killed you instead of kidnapping you and holding you safe and sound inside a barrier."

"One of them broke my _wrist_," Naruto pointed out, unconsciously rubbing said wrist.

"Dislocated it, and let's be fair, you were never going to cooperate," Shikamaru reasoned. "In capture missions, it's usually recommended to do so against uncooperative shinobi so they can't do hand seals."

"Are you...justifying what they did?" Naruto asked, growling.

Shikamaru glared at his friend. "I'm _explaining_ what they did. There's a difference," he shot back. "You asked _me_ for advice, remember?"

Naruto grudgingly nodded, although he was beginning to regret his decision.

Shikamaru, too, seemed about ready to give up on this. Gritting his teeth, he looked to the side, seemingly debating whether to proceed or not, before deciding his friend was simply unused to these sorts of complicated dilemmas.

"Look, I don't know what your clansmen were saying about sin of cowardice or whatever, but it's clear that part of your family wants to hurt Konoha. But if that was their plan, they're doing a pretty crap job of it," he pointed out gesticulating with his free hand. "As it stands, everything they've done, or said they've done, will just make your clan the center of attention and resentment when this all comes to light. In so doing, they would cause your clan to, at worst, be targeted for extermination outright by _all_ the Great Villages, or at best, exiled and fractured."

Naruto blanched at the options, but let Shikamaru keep going. Right now, he had to trust that his friend knew what he was talking about — he was pretty smart about these things.

"And while I'm starting to think this Shuko lady is a bit extreme in her methods," the Nara heir gestured to Naruto's repaired wrist, "she doesn't seem to be the type to put her family in that sort of reckless danger. Otherwise, you'd be dead, or _we'd_ be dead," he added, gesturing to the other Rookies.

Naruto was silent for a moment as he absorbed all of this. "So what does she want?" he asked.

Shikamaru shrugged. "With the limited information you've given me, I don't have any way of knowing that," he admitted. "But I do know one thing for sure: she wants all eyes on the Uzumaki," he said before pausing suddenly. He narrowed his eyes and then pointed at his friend. "No. My mistake. She wants all eyes on _you_."

Naruto blinked. "On me?" he parroted.

Shikamaru nodded, though he didn't elaborate further. He feared that if he did, Naruto would take his theories and guesses as sacred law, and think no further; if so, he would be burdening his friend with unsubstantiated guesswork. Truth was, that was the only pattern he had been able to discern in everything Naruto had told him, and what he'd heard about the Nami Incident.

Starting with Nami — the details of which he'd pried out of Hinata and Kiba — he knew that Naruto had been at the centre of that particular dilemma, even if his overall fighting contribution had been minimal. Being singled out by the man called Tazuna as the leaders of the Nami revolt, the Uzumaki had been thrown into the global spotlight — and that translated into increased scrutiny of the Clan Head...or Potential Clan Head, in this case.

Then there was that whole fiasco with the Chakra Seal. There were hundreds of ways this Shuko lady could have manipulated events to her favour. She could've had Naruto's shadows alter his exam, or planted a proctor to deliberately fail him. They could've simply made him oversleep on exam day, and that would be it.

Instead, they had chosen a completely roundabout way of hindering Naruto...yet not crippling him. For some strange reason, this Shuko lady, who seemed reluctant to rejoin her clansmen here in Konoha, had given her main obstacle to her goals a chance to prove himself.

Then there was the issue with the Uzumakis shadowing them. Smartly, Naruto had allowed Kiba and the others to continue believing they were simply jerks from Kusa with a grudge against Konoha. Naruto had only told him about their real identities as members of the Uzumaki clan.

According to Naruto, they had been given standing orders to only interfere if his life was in mortal danger. That seemed odd yet again to Shikamaru, as Naruto's death would have cleanly eliminated Shuko's obstacle towards allegedly keeping the clan fractured. Even if they meant to force him to fail, the only thing the Uzumaki did was dislocate his wrist. Why? If they had broken a limb, or even just his legs, Naruto would be out for good. There were no medic-nin among the Rookie Nine, and he doubted he could convince another team to help.

If their mission was really as set in stone as Naruto had been made to believe, then it should have played out _completely_ differently.

Of course, he didn't share this line of reasoning with his friend. Even as he watched Naruto fret by himself, Shikamaru didn't feel confident enough in his conclusions to voice them outright at the moment. He needed more information. Specifically about this Shuko woman and Uzushiogakure...and in _particular_, about the _fall_ of Uzushiogakure.

Because of all the things Naruto had told him his shadows had spoken about, he had a sneaking suspicion that the "sin of cowardice" was the one thing they had been completely honest about.

"So what do we do now?" Naruto asked, still looking quite uncertain about everything. He wasn't the type to sit around and think, so these situations usually made him moody and indecisive. He needed a clear goal to function.

Shikamaru gave him one. "I'm willing to bet your shadows aren't going to be messing with the scrolls anymore," he reasoned. He had no valid basis for that, but he decided to trust his gut. "So we're going to do what we always intended to do. We're going to get that second scroll, and pass this test."

"And Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked. Based on what Karin had said, their pink-haired teammate was safe, but at or near the Tower...and unlikely to be in a condition to respond to her temporary communication seal.

Shikamaru thought about that for a few seconds before eyeing Kiba, on the other side of the clearing. Ever since they had lost the Oto nin, Kiba had been distant from Naruto, as though keeping something bottled up. He had a fair guess as to what, but figured this was between his two friends.

Still, he needed him right now.

"Oi, Kiba!" he shouted, prompting the Inuzuka male and his puppy to turn their heads towards him. Shikamaru got up and walked over, followed by Naruto. As expected, Kiba's eyes narrowed at the blonde, but kept whatever he had up his ass to himself. "Sakura also got split up from us. We think she's near the Tower. Think you can help us track her down when we get close?"

Kiba eyed the two before glancing down at Akamaru, who yipped thrice. Kiba sighed and nodded. "Sure. Never leave a man behind, right?" he mused.

Shikamaru nodded. "Thanks."

He watched as Naruto tried to thank Kiba as well, but the ninken user simply glowered and turned away. Before Naruto could get all prissy, Shikamaru put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him away. The last thing he needed was a fight between a chakra incapable Naruto and a pissed off Kiba.

"What crawled up _his_ ass and died?" Naruto muttered as they walked away, prompting a sigh from Shikamaru.

False modesty aside, Naruto sure was lucky he had friends around to make up for his complete lack of social sense.

Walking back towards the others, he proceeded to explain to Naruto just _why_ Kiba was pissed off at him, and how it was, in a way, entirely his fault.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Near the Tower, 30 minutes remain on the Chakra Seal…<strong>_

They were lucky, Sakura mused, that the Oto nin had apparently given up on their chase.

She didn't know why — even with Team Kiba's arrival and her own rescue, they were still outnumbered...and had apparently counted on a medic-nin whose identity they had yet to figure out.

But Sakura wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Ever since the Second Test had begun, it had been just one problem after another, starting with the fact that the Heaven Scrolls had seemingly multiplied spontaneously. Then they had been ambushed by 15 Oto nin, who seemed hellbent on killing Sasuke and her friends. _Then_ she had been knocked out while evacuating a temporarily incapacitated Naruto. _Then_ she had woken up near the Tower to the worried expression of Naruto and Shikamaru's relief. _Then_ she had been told she had been out of commission for about 2 hours, while her friends battled unknown Kusa nin with a grudge against Konoha and the unrelenting teams of Oto nin.

So yeah; in her mental scrapbook of childhood memories, this Chunin Exam was probably not going in the top ten.

Fortunately for them, however, Shikamaru had asserted that the weird thing that was turning Earth Scrolls into Heaven Scrolls was probably gone by now — though she found the glance exchanged between he and Naruto a bit suspicious. With that in mind, the Rookie 9 teams had resumed their advance towards the Tower, keeping an eye out for any other teams arriving belatedly.

After all, they were 2 days into a 5 day exam period.

Unfortunately for her team, however, Kiba and Sasuke had insisted on moving on to the next stage, having already retrieved the two scrolls they needed. Though she and Naruto had wanted to protest, and the others in said teams had seemed reluctant to go along with their respective leaders, Shikamaru had acknowledged that they had fulfilled their end of the bargain.

Unfortunately, that left her team without a tracker.

However, rather than get depressed over this, Naruto had immediately turned to Shikamaru and asked how to proceed. Which was surprising to the pink-haired girl, given that he was the type to just charge ahead recklessly...or so she'd been led to believe.

Even now, after all they'd been through, she found she still wrestled with herself to reconcile the cool, confident, _capable_ Naruto with the knucklehead she'd known her whole life.

Shikamaru, of course, had a rough plan already laid out.

When they'd been running from the Oto nin, Shikamaru had carefully memorized their path through the forest and then put that information to paper by drawing on the map. Given the lack of other teams that showed up during their extended confrontations, he extrapolated a rough area where no teams should be presumed to be active. With that in mind, he had Naruto and her make a round of the Tower grounds to see if they could find any tracks.

Once he got that information, Shikamaru had put on his thinking pose for a while before concluding which areas were least likely to present an active team, based on initial starting points and the amount of tracks they had found arriving at the Tower. Once he had those, he calculated the most likely avenues of approach.

This spot they were hiding at was one of those. Naruto's sole Kage Bunshin of the day was at another.

The problem was now waiting. Sakura estimated they had waited about 20 minutes, and already, Naruto looked like he was about to punch something on principle.

"Shikamaru," Sakura spoke up. "Are you sure this spot…"

"No," Shikamaru admitted as he lay on the tree branch, seemingly napping. The pose seemed to irritate Naruto, which she suspected was one reason the Nara heir did it. "But it's the best I got based on the information we have."

Sakura nodded. She could understand that. Still, it would royally suck if her team was the only one of the Rookie 9 who failed this stage. Ino would be unbearable.

"Naruto's seal should be coming off soon," she noted, trying to make conversation. Waiting in silence was never really her strong suit. Nor Naruto's, for that matter. In fact, only Sasuke, Shino, and Shikamaru ever seemed able to sit still without making noise. Even Hinata would fidget.

"Hn."

Sakura sighed. She knew she should be quieter — the most crucial quality to an ambush was surprise, after all — but at the same time, she was sort of...well...bored.

She idly wondered if this was how Naruto felt like all the time.

A twig snapping caught her attention, and she saw Shikamaru's eyes snap open. Off on another tree, Naruto had tensed as well. Slowly, she turned her head down, and saw what seemed to be three Genin making their way to the Tower. Two of them seemed on death's door. The other, a black-haired girl with long hair, was shaking uncontrollably.

Their outfit, more than their missing headbands, identified them as Oto nin. In fact, the very three Oto nin who'd come forward to threaten them when the ambush was sprung.

Well, that made things easy.

Sakura looked to Shikamaru, who'd silently positioned himself into a squat, and then to Naruto, who's eyes seemed full of anger. Likely, he felt the same frustration she did at having been taken out of the fight against the Oto nin who'd ambushed their friends for so long.

Shikamaru motioned to Naruto, who grudgingly stayed still. He then turned to Sakura and made a few hand signs that she interpreted as an order to quietly move into their path of escape towards the Tower. If they were here, it made sense they were likely done with the test.

As she moved away, she peripherally saw Shikamaru motion for Naruto to flank the Oto team, which meant he was taking their rear. It was a classic ambush, and one that was likely to fail against a team with such finely tuned hearing, were it not for their half-dead appearance.

As quietly as she could, Sakura followed Shikamaru's orders to the letter, softly jumping onto another tree branch, then another, until she was positioned, out of view, over their path towards the Tower. According to the classic stratagem, she would only need to jump into the fight if they attempted an escape. Many did, many didn't. It depended on the assaulted team's self-confidence.

She had a feeling these would.

Breathing in deeply, she waited for the signal, and wasn't made to wait too long as a defiant cry — Naruto — broke the forest's stillness. Within moments, she could hear panicked shouting, followed by increased panic — Shikamaru's jutsu, no doubt — before one of them very clearly shouted, "Run!"

That was her cue.

Without a moment of hesitation, she dropped from her hiding spot right onto the long-haired girl, managing to slug the girl in the cheek before using her as a landing cushion. The Oto kunoichi gasped as the wind was knocked out of her, then threw up to the side, much to Sakura's disgust.

Getting to her feet, she saw Naruto had knocked the tall, lanky one with the strange holes in his hands, while the one who looked like he'd gotten into a fight with a bear and lost was caught in Shikamaru's shadows.

"Bind them," Shikamaru ordered.

"Wait."

All eyes — well, those who were conscious — turned to face the Oto Genin whose face was wrapped up in bandages.

"We surrender willingly," the Oto nin announced, much to their surprise.

"Dosu…" the sole female Oto nin groaned.

"What?" Naruto asked smartly.

"Explain," Shikamaru ordered tersely.

The Oto nin, identified as Dosu, was unable to move his body, but still managed to convey a shrug. "Two of my teammates are incapacitated by your hands," he observed logically. "Though were were already defeated by another team," he added. "Our chakra reserves are low, and, if you can recall I used to wield a weapon that is no longer on me."

Shikamaru eyed the Oto nin's right arm and did in fact see that the strange object that had been there was gone.

"My team and I are of no threat to you," Dosu reasoned. "And as luck would have it, we have extra scrolls."

"...Any earth?" Shikamaru asked cautiously.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted indignantly. He couldn't believe his friend was negotiating with these guys, after all they'd been put through! Even Sakura felt a little uneasy about negotiating with these guys.

"Three," Dosu answered calmly. "See? We've got something you want, we just want to get the hell out of here. We both win."

"Or we could just knock you out and take everything, leaving less opponents for later," Sakura observed smartly.

"True enough," Dosu answered. "But in that case, our lives are on your head."

Sakura watched Naruto's eyes narrow. "What?"

"I may look like hell, but I'm even worse off," Dosu said calmly. "Lift my shirt if you don't believe me."

Cautiously, Naruto approached Dosu and lifted his purple shirt. Sakura gasped. Underneath was a slowly expanding pool of blood stemming from his gut.

"A Kusa team got my teammates and I good," Dosu explained. Sakura couldn't help but feel wonder at the fact that he was talking so calmly, despite the severity of his wound. "Kin is the only one of us who's not in any sort of immediate danger."

Sakura eyed the girl at her feet, and instantly felt a little bad for her. The shaking, the puking, the moaning — she now understood it wasn't due to the pain she'd inflicted, but the terror she felt from that past encounter. She did wonder, however, why Naruto and Shikamaru's gaze had sharpened at the mention of the Kusa nin.

"Zaku there has got internal bleeding," Dosu said, prompting Sakura to look at the unconscious teen that Naruto had attacked. "He's unlikely to make it unless he gets to a doctor."

"Assuming we believe you, how do we know this isn't going to bite us in the ass later?" Shikamaru asked. It was a fair point, Sakura mused.

"You don't," Dosu answered flatly. "But all I can say is that Zaku and I are dropping out after this. If Kin wants to power it out, it's on her."

Sakura saw the kunoichi shake her head frantically. Given the terror in her eyes, Sakura doubted she'd choose to stick around after this.

"So?" Dosu asked. "What's it going to be?"

She watched as Shikamaru and Naruto communicated silently via their expressions and body language, and felt somewhat left out. Neither even bothered to look at her as they decided how to proceed. Whether that was because they felt she was of no use here, or because they were locked in some macho contest, she didn't know.

Nonetheless, she had to make her voice heard.

"Let them go," she said.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Hm."

Sakura motioned to the Oto nin. "They're done, guys. Look at them. If that guy Zaku is as messed up as bandage face there says he is, he's going to be lucky to live out the night. The girl looks like she's a loud sound away from losing her mind. Even bandage face is looking at a prolonged stay at the hospital!" she pointed out. "We take the scroll, and let them go."

Shikamaru and Naruto exchanged brief looks before the former sighed, while the latter shrugged. A moment later, Dosu stumbled and clutched his wound as Shikamaru's shadow jutsu let go of him.

"Thanks," Dosu grunted out. He then reached to his backpocket, prompting all three Konoha nins to tense up, before withdrawing what appeared to be an Earth Scroll. "As promised. Payment for safe passage," he said, laying it on the ground before him. "Don't worry, I'm not stupid enough to try a backstab at this stage."

"Thanks," Shikamaru remarked sarcastically as he moved over and picked up the scroll. It certainly looked the part. "One question," he said, even as Dosu moved to pick up Zaku.

The bandaged Genin turned slightly. "What?"

"Why'd you attack Sasuke?"

The Oto genin eyed him for a while before shrugging. "Why else? Orders," he answered before bending down and lifting Zaku by the arm.

"Not going to say who?" Shikamaru asked perceptively.

"Would you?" Dosu asked reasonably before walking away towards Kin, who still looked a bit shell-shocked by her experience.

Shikamaru smirked as he flipped the scroll in his hand. "No, I suppose not."

Mission Accomplished.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Tower, Training Grounds #44, "Forest of Death," 10 minutes to Chakra Seal Release…<strong>_

"Congratulations on passing," Kakashi told his three assigned Genin.

Predictably, only Sakura seemed particularly enthused at their situation. Then again, he had a feeling Naruto had confided in Shikamaru the details of his situation, but even then, they looked a lot more on edge than a simple Chakra Seal warranted.

"Sakura, why don't you go ahead? I need to have a few words with Shikamaru and Naruto," he offered. "Ino and the others are resting while we wait for all the other teams to be accounted for."

Sakura eyed her two teammates uncertainly, then nodded when they both gave her the tiniest nod of support. "H-Hai!"

Once the sole girl of the group was gone through the doors, Kakashi turned his attention to his students in full.

"Kimiko told me what what Shuko did to you," Kakashi told Naruto, before narrowing his sole visible eye. "And what you did to yourself."

Naruto swallowed nervously. He'd completely forgotten that he'd lied to his teachers, too.

"Did you tell the Hokage, Kakashi-sensei?" he asked fearfully.

Kakashi eyed his student for a moment before sighing and shaking his head. "No, but I'm still not convinced that's not the right thing to do," he said. "Naruto, your own clansman nearly got you killed. She's sabotaging village relations!"

Both Genin blinked at that. "Sorry, what?" Shikamaru interrupted before Naruto could. "What do you mean, sabotaging village relations?"

Kakashi eyed the Nara heir. He didn't seem remotely surprised about the Chakra Seal being tampered with, so he figured Naruto had come clean. "Kimiko and the other Uzumaki think Shuko has been the reason so many foreign shinobi are at each other's throats these days. Well, more so than usual."

Naruto turned to Shikamaru, who frowned and cupped his chin pensively. "That doesn't make sense."

Rather than condescendingly dismiss the teen, given his age, Kakashi had a feeling the Nara heir knew something he didn't. "Oh?"

"Naruto was briefly kidnapped in the woods by an Uzumaki team under orders of Uzumaki Shuko," Shikamaru informed his sensei, who looked stunned by that revelation and turned to look at Naruto, probably to inspect him for wounds he'd missed. "Naruto's fine. The team was ordered to protect him at all costs if he ever got in mortal danger."

"They broke my wrist, Shika," said blonde reminded his friend.

Shikamaru glowered at him, especially when Kakashi sucked in a breath. "They _dislocated _it. Ino fixed it in a second."

"Still hurt like hell," grumbled Naruto.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "The point being, why would Shuko try to cause a war between the villages when she's _in one_ to begin with, and she actually _tried_ to save Naruto?"

"Good point," Kakashi conceded, glad he'd chosen to hear the boy out. "Kimiko and the others thought she was trying to get Naruto killed to keep the family apart."

"There are much less troublesome ways of doing that," Shikamaru reasoned, before growling and rubbing his nape. "Honestly, I don't have enough information to see her endgame."

Kakashi shrugged. "Neither do I."

Shikamaru turned to look at Naruto. "Any way to get a hold of Shuko?"

Naruto shrugged. "Never even met her."

Kakashi coughed. This seemed a good point to end their conversation, before any other teams managed to stumble into the room. "Anyway, in light of this new information, I'm going to hold off on informing the Hokage on _all_ the details," he said. "But there's no way I can keep Shuko's actions against Naruto off the books."

Shikamaru nodded, while Naruto blanched. This didn't sound good for the clan's plan to reunite the cells…

"I won't lie: this is going to cause some shockwaves, particularly given the Gokage Summit underway," Kakashi told them seriously before eyeing Naruto in particular. "Naruto, after you're all allowed to go back home, I suggest you talk to your Elders. The Hokage is unlikely to be very pleased with this turn of events."

Naruto nodded defeatedly before noticing his wrist was beginning to glow. "What the—oomph!"

Shikamaru and Kakashi were by his side in an instant as Naruto fell to his knees. At the same time, Kakashi could _feel_ the raw chakra pumping out of Naruto, despite his non-existant sensor ability.

"I suppose congratulations are in order again," he mused as he patted Naruto on the head. The blonde blinked in surprise before grinning.

"Welcome back."

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Park, Konohagakure, Later that Evening…<strong>_

Shuko was humming a melody to herself as she kicked at the air from her seat on the bench. The park was deserted at this time of night — as expected — and Toshiko had been sent off to deal with her orders.

To the casual passerby, it might have seemed strange, to see a little girl sitting by herself on a bench in the middle of a park at night. Or like something out of a horror story.

Instead, Shuko had chosen to come here not out of a whim — well, not _entirely_ out of whim — but also out of politeness.

Politeness towards the old man walking towards her right now, his sole visible arm leaning on an aged wooden cane.

"I was wondering when you'd get here," she greeted jovially.

"I was unaware you were expecting me," the old man greeted tersely. "You seem to know who I am."

Shuko giggled. "And you probably know who _I_ am, right?"

"Uzumaki Shuko," the old man said, coming to a stop before her, his body towering over hers. In the moonlight she could see the man's right side (his right) of the face covered in bandages. "The Phoenix of Uzushiogakure. The Mistress of Strategy."

Shuko giggled again. "They still call me those old things?" she asked amusedly. "I suppose I should feel honored, no? _Shi~mu~ra~ Dan~zo~sa~ma~,_" she teasingly spelled out out his name. "You've got quite a reputation yourself, you know. _Lots_ of people want _you_ dead."

No part of him even reacted to that. "Is that a threat?" he asked calmly.

All around them, she could feel the sudden presence of dozens of shinobi that hadn't been there before. Rather than panic, however, Shuko grinned.

"No, just a statement of fact," she said. "Neat trick, by the way. Want me to show you mine?"

Before he could answer, she snapped her tiny fingers, and this time it was Danzo who noticed the sudden appearance of even _more_ shinobi just out of sight. Each one next to one of his own.

"We think alike," he observed. No panic, Shuko noted. Likely because he still had the home advantage, and probably more shinobi in reserves. Props to him.

"Strategists usually do," Shuko agreed as she leaned back against the bench and crossed her legs. "I don't think you came here looking for a fight, though. Am I right?"

"You are," Danzo answered. "Though I would rather speak to your true form, rather than this...illusion."

Shuko pouted. "Afraid you'll be pegged a pedophile?" she asked with a smirk.

To his credit, Danzo was unmoved by the taunt. "If either of us feared what people thought of us, neither of us would be here," he replied calmly. "I would simply prefer to deal with the woman I've heard so much about, rather than the child she pretends to be."

Shuko smiled. "Flatterer," she said. "Call off your men, and I'll do the same."

Danzo stared at her unreadably. "You seem certain neither of us will resort to violence."

"We have points of mutual interest that I'm sure will keep us from killing each other tonight," Shuko pointed out.

"Just tonight?"

Shuko grinned. "I'm a realist."

Danzo was silent for a moment before one of his fingers twitched. In an instant, half the presences disappeared. With a smile, Shuko snapped her fingers using a different finger combination, and her half was soon gone as well.

Closing her eyes, Shuko then breathed in, then out, and let her chakra move towards the diamond seal on her forehead. Slowly, her figure began to grow larger, and larger, until she became the size of an adult, with the features to match.

"More to your liking?" Shuko asked coyly. Even though she'd aged, she still looked like she was no older than 30 years old. The vanity of women, Danzo concluded.

"Tolerable," he said. "Though you bear a striking resemblance to the late Mito-sama."

Shuko smiled. "That's twice you've been a flatterer. Come," she motioned to the bench.

"Let's talk."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Post-AN: <strong>__Shuko and Danzo. What could possibly go wrong?! :D_

_Always remember to look under the underneath!_


End file.
